Survival of the Fairies
by PeoniesandPoppies
Summary: When the world is plagued by the living dead you do what you can to survive. Unfortunately, with the world plunged into chaos, the living are just as deadly. It's an all out war and the Fairies refuse to die. (Gruvia, Nalu, Gajevy, Jerza.)
1. Chapter 1

**Survival of the Fairies**

I know, I know.

I should be working on the 3 fan fics I already have going.

I couldn't resist.

I'm sorry.

* * *

Silence. The atmosphere was eerily still and she couldn't see anyone anywhere.

There were cars abandoned all over the road and she saw blood. A lot of it.

Juvia dared not exit the truck. Gajeel had told her to stay put and promised he would be back soon.

That was over 2 hours ago.

She tried not to panic, fiddling with her jacket buttons to take her mind off of her missing friend.

When news got out about the dead coming to life and attacking the living nearly everyone laughed it off.

That's not even humanly possible. Right?

Wrong. It was possible and it did happen.

Now here they were, in the middle of nowhere and one of them was missing.

Juvia peeked through the back window of Gajeel's beloved truck hoping to see him walking towards her.

She saw nothing but an abandoned street littered with blood and vehicles.

She sighed and sunk to the floorboard.

Tears pooled in the corners of her eyes and she tried desperately to blink them back.

She and Gajeel had been friends since high school.

They had shared a foster home until they turned 18.

As soon as they were legal, they bailed together.

They both got jobs and had stayed wherever they could, bouncing from place to place.

They never did have a steady home.

Earlier that morning Gajeel had come to Juvia's work and dragged her out, throwing her into his truck before her shift had even ended.

She couldn't believe what she saw as they drove out of town.

Hordes of shambling, sickly looking people. They were walking in large groups and looked like they were in a trance.

She had never seen so much blood in her life.

As they drove away from Oak Town, Juvia wondered what was going on.

Gajeel explained to her on the way that what had been reported on the news wasn't a joke. It was real and they were in actual trouble.

They broke down after entering a city called Magnolia.

Juvia would have thought it was a nice town had it not been abandoned and painted red with the blood of it's citizens.

She climbed into the back seat of the truck and grabbed a baseball bat that Gajeel had tossed in before they fled town.

It had nails all through it. She winced at the thought of being hit by such a weapon.

' _Brutal._..'

She reached for the door handle, hesitating a bit.

She was terrified of two things.

Dying by the hands of the dead and dying by the hands of her rather rough friend.

If he indeed survived and found out that she left his precious Metallicana unprotected...

There would be hell to pay.

His truck, Metallicana, was his baby.

Metallicana was a real beast of a truck. It towered over most vehicles and could probably run over a Prius with ease.

It was black and had metal detailing. He even added a battering ram on the front just last month.

He had believed the news and she just laughed it off.

Now she was wishing she hadn't.

She took a deep breath and opened the door.

The crisp autumn air hit her face and her heart began to race.

She gently shut the door and began walking towards the gas station he had gone to.

As she traveled down the creepy, abandoned road she kept her bat cocked back over her shoulder, ready to swing.

When she arrived at the gas station, she found a metal stud in a small pool of blood.

Her free hand flew to her mouth and the bat dropped to her side.

She knew that couldn't be a good sign.

She cocked her bat back once more and began to search the cars in the lot.

She found some supplies, but no Gajeel.

In one of the cars she had found a kids backpack. It was pink with little red hearts.

It was splattered with blood and the sight made her heart ache and stomach lurch.

As disturbing as it was, the backpack would be handy.

She grabbed it and began loading it with whatever supplies she could find that would be useful.

Lighters, water bottles, a flashlight, a pistol and some ammo, a Swiss army knife, she even scored a candy bar.

She zipped up the pack and slung it onto her back, readying her bat once more.

She walked to the door of the gas station and pulled it open.

She heard no movement inside, but still remained cautious.

She slowly and quietly rounded the isles, checking for any living dead or Gajeel.

The building appeared to be clear.

She was tempted to check the restrooms, but based on every horror movie she had ever seen, she decided not to press her luck.

She opened her pack and began tossing in some snacks, drinks and tampons.

She re-zipped her pack and mounted it back onto her back.

With her bat, she pushed open the bathroom door.

She didn't want to, but she had to be sure Gajeel wasn't incapacitated in there.

She heard no movement and didn't see anything trying to escape, so she pushed the bat farther forward to get a better look.

There was some blood on the floor and in the sink, but that was it.

She pulled the bat back and slung it over her shoulder, releasing an annoyed huff.

She had passed the panic and cry stage and was now moving on to the get pissed stage.

She strolled out of the gas station and began walking back to Metallicana.

It was her home after all.

All of Gajeel's money went into that damn truck.

Juvia's money kept them fed.

Gajeel never did get insurance for the truck. They couldn't afford it.

One good thing about the world going to shit... No laws.

However, this was also a bad thing. It was a very bad thing.

* * *

Juvia had slept alone in the truck that night.

Gajeel never returned and she reverted back to her panic stage.

She hardly slept at all.

She was too scared. Between keeping an eye out for Gajeel and worrying about being ripped to shreds and eaten alive, she had no patience or will to sleep.

When the sun rose in the sky, she couldn't see the light too well, but she did see the sun.

Gajeel had blacked out his windows a few months back.

She sat up and grabbed her pack and bat.

Time for another search.

She peeked out the window to see if there were any corpses out and about.

She saw none.

She was feeling pretty lucky.

Her hand reached for the door handle and she counted to three.

' _One... Two... Three_.'

The door swung open and she hopped down.

She closed the door quietly and began walking back to the gas station.

Nothing appeared to be out of place from her visit yesterday.

She raised her bat and entered the building.

It was still quiet and she saw no movement.

Her shoulders slumped and she let the bat hang leisurely over her shoulder.

She passed the hygiene/ medicine section as she was leaving and thanked her lucky stars that she had come back.

She had forgotten some pretty important supplies.

She opened her pack and began loading it with band-aids, neosporin, rubbing alcohol, gauze, ace bandages, pain killers, cold and flu medicine, and a few hygiene products.

Satisfied, she closed it up and flung it onto her back. She dragged her bat behind her as she exited the station.

When she approached Metallicana she saw a hooded figure rummaging in the front seat.

She raised her bat high in the air and spoke in as threatening a tone as she could muster.

"Didn't anyone ever teach you not to touch what isn't yours?"

The figure snapped around and locked eyes with hers.

He wasn't dead. That was for sure.

His dark, Spiky hair poked out from under the hood and his intense grey-blue eyes stared into her navy eyes with unwavering confidence.

He made no move to harm her, so she didn't feel right just swinging at the poor guy.

"Who are you? What do you need?" She asked calmly, lowering her bat to rest on her shoulder.

He eyed the bat and then moved his eyes back to her. He knew she had never used that bat to harm anyone.

It was too clean. He smirked at her. This made her insides twist. She gripped the bat tighter.

"Just looking for supplies." His voice was strong, yet smooth. Like good coffee.

"Gas station." She pointed her bat down the road from where she came.

He saw that she was a bit scared. He decided to play nice for now.

He didn't want to risk being her bat's first victim.

"Right. Sorry. I thought this truck was abandoned. It looked promising." He said honestly.

She nodded and nudged him away from the truck with her bat.

"Juvia gets it. She raided some cars too. However, this one is hers."

He chuckled quietly to himself. He had never met someone who spoke in third person before. It was kind of cute.

She wasn't bad looking herself. If he was being honest, she was actually pretty damn beautiful.

With her long, wavy blue hair and cat like navy eyes, her creamy alabaster skin and those long model worthy legs.

She was certainly a dime.

Juvia felt him staring her down with an odd look on his face and it made her uncomfortable.

She pointed the bat to his face and glared with deadly intent. "What?"

He shook his head and raised his hands defensively. "Nothing. You are just very unique."

He was smiling and it made her heart flip flop. She quickly shook away the feeling and retracted her bat.

"Thanks... Juvia thinks. What can Juvia call you?"

He shoved his hands into his pockets.

"Juvia can call me Gray."

Before she could say anything back, she saw something come around the truck behind Gray. He never took his eyes off of her and she knew he had no idea.

Without any hesitation, she raised her bat high into the air and lunged forward.

Gray's eyes widened and he hit the ground to avoid her powerful swing.

He heart a loud crack of the bat and a thud.

When he turned around, he saw Juvia with her foot pressed into the chest of a lifeless corpse, tugging her spiked bat out of the dead's unrecognizable face.

Her face and chest were covered in blood splatter, like as if it had just rained blood.

She wiped her face with her free hand and turned to him. "Gray-Sama is welcome."

He slowly nodded and stood to his feet. "Thanks..."

He decided not to ask about the honorific. Maybe it was just her thing.

The blunette bent down and searched the corpse. Nothing.

She frowned and stood to her feet.

"So... Are you all by yourself out here?" He asked curiously. It would be easier if she were.

She looked over her shoulder to see him. "Well, Juvia wasn't. Gajeel-Kun still hasn't come back. He left yesterday. Juvia has a bad feeling."

He smiled deviously behind her.

Now was his chance.

He reached into his pocket and pulled out a black pillow case.

He quickly shoved it over her head and put her in a choke hold until she passed out.

Once her body was limp, he threw her over his shoulder. He grabbed her bat and set off for his destination.

He arrived a while later in front of a large building.

This was home.

He walked through the large double doors and carried her down to the basement where he lay her on a cot in a cell.

As he lay her down a short old man with a large mustache entered the cell behind him.

"New recruit?" He asked with a knowing smile.

Gray looked over his shoulder at the tiny old man with a smug grin of his own.

"Sure is."

He knelt down beside her and wiped a strand of bloodied hair from her face.

"Welcome to Fairy Tail, Juvia."

* * *

 ***AUTHOR'S NOTE*** Soooo... What do y'all think? I love the idea so much, but I am such a simple writer. I need to up my vocabulary. I really do. Anyways, I hope you

guys like this! I really cannot wait to write the next chapter. Totally walking dead inspired but not based. Thanks for reading! Feedback is important, dammit! Review this

shit. Even if you hate it. Let me knowwwww.


	2. Chapter 2

**Survival of the Fairies**

 **Ch.2: Fairy Tail**

* * *

"What if she wakes up? Gray wasn't exactly a gentleman to get her here you know."

A short girl with shoulder length blue hair adorned with a black head band carried a bowl of water into the basement cell followed by an average height busty blonde.

The blonde rolled her eyes. "He never is."

The little blunette giggled as she knelt down beside the cot where the new recruit lay.

"We need to get this blood off of her. Did you bring the clothes?"

The blonde joined her friend on the floor. "Yep. Right here."

She smiled and patted the bag that was now resting on her lap.

"Good. Poor girl. Gray said she lost a friend out there." They both looked down at the girl's blood covered face in pity.

Suddenly the blonde began to laugh quietly to herself.

"What is it, Lu-Chan?" The blunette glanced back to the sleeping girl to be sure the blonde's laughter hadn't caused her to stir.

"Did you hear that she saved Gray's ass out there? Hahaha. I can only imagine his face."

The little one stifled a giggle. "And so he thanked her by tossing a pillowcase over her head and knocking her unconscious. He's a real prince charming..."

The blonde placed a rag into the warm water and brought it back out, wringing out the excess moisture.

"This girl must be pretty unlucky. Losing her friend AND getting stuck as Gray's partner? Yeesh."

She pressed the warm, wet rag gently against the new girl's face, wiping away at the dried blood.

"G...Gaj...Gajeel-Kun." The girl whimpered.

Lucy retracted the washcloth at max speed. The two girls looked at each other wide eyed.

"Gajeel-Kun?" The petite blunette asked.

"Maybe that is her friend?" The blonde offered.

"Or her boyfriend!?" The little one whisper yelled.

The blonde giggled and shook her head. "Gray must be unlucky, too."

The once unconscious girl opened her eyes and stared at the ceiling in a daze momentarily before trying to sit up.

The blonde grabbed her shoulders softly and tried to lay her back down.

"No, no. Lay back down. It's alright. You are okay." The girl began to panic.

"Gajeel-Kun?! Where is Gajeel-Kun?!" She screamed.

The two girls tried their best to calm her, but she was now in hysterics.

"Where is he?! Gajeel-Kun! Release Juvia! Please!? Gajeel-Kun!"

She stopped screaming when she heard footsteps coming down the hall.

She watched the outside of the cell, praying that it was Gajeel.

Her hopes came crashing down around her when she saw a familiar face.

"You! You tricked Juvia! Where have you taken Juvia?!" She shouted accusingly.

He opened the cell door and entered, closing it behind him.

He leaned against the wall casually with his hands in his pockets.

"Nice to see you too, Juvia. This is Fairy Tail, your new home."

Juvia was getting angry just looking at him.

He had tricked her, taken her somewhere she wasn't familiar, halted her search efforts and most of all, he made her afraid.

This was unforgivable.

"Juvia's new home? Juvia would rather die! She could never be friends with someone like you." She spat.

His face went from a smug grin to a scowl in an instant.

"What's that supposed to mean? You're safe now."

She stood from the bed and lunged at him.

The girls stood back and watched.

He could take care of himself and they were interested to see what the girl could do.

Juvia pinned him against the wall with all of her strength, one arm pressed into his neck.

"You kidnapped Juvia. How does that make her safe?" She growled.

He kept his cool, his expression never faltering.

"Sorry about that. I didn't think you were the type to come willingly and I wasn't interested in getting personal with your death club over there."

He said as he shot a glance over to her blood soaked, nail spiked bat leaning against the opposite wall.

She released him from the wall and stood back crossing her arms.

"Why did Gray Sama need Juvia to come here?"

The two girls were now sitting on the cot watching the scene go down.

He shifted on his feet and scratched his head awkwardly.

"It's not that you needed to come here necessarily..."

Juvia's eyebrows furrowed and her eyes narrowed.

She poked at his chest, making him back into the cell wall.

"So you brought Juvia here FOR NO REASON?!" She shouted.

She was so angry her face was turning red.

"Oi, calm down. It was for your safety!"

She scoffed and turned away from him.

"Juvia's safety? You were a bigger threat to Juvia than the corpses!"

She turned to face him, her fists clenched at her sides.

"I would never hurt you. Juvia, calm down."

He took a step towards her and reached for her hands.

She backed away and began slowly inching towards her bat.

"Why is Juvia here? What is Fairy Tail?" She asked in a low, threatening tone.

Gray sighed and looked to the two girls behind her.

"Will you two fill her in? I think she is too angry to believe a word from my mouth at the moment."

The girls nodded and turned to face Juvia, who was staring holes through Gray's skull as he exited the cell.

Once he was out of sight, she turned to face the girls.

The blonde stood from the cot and reached out a hand.

"I'm Lucy and this is Levy." Juvia looked between the two girls warily before relenting and accepting her offered hand, giving it a firm shake.

"Juvia. What is going on?"

Lucy gave her a friendly smile and motioned for her to take a next to Levy.

Juvia took her seat and Lucy sat beside her.

"We heard that Gray found you out in the streets. You were staying in a truck?"

She nodded. "Metallicana. Gajeel-Kun's most prized posession. And now it is unattended and Juvia will not see him if he returns..."

The girls patted her shoulders and Levy continued to clean her up while Lucy filled her in.

"We're sorry that your friend is missing... But, maybe he is okay."

Juvia sniffled and nodded. "Gajeel-Kun is tough. Juvia doubts he is dead. Maybe just lost..."

Lucy and Levy exchanged skeptical looks.

"Well, We are sure he will turn up eventually. Until then, Fairy Tail can be your new home."

Juvia narrowed her eyes at the blonde.

"Fairy Tail? What is this place?" She looked around the cell and scoffed.

Levy giggled and continued wiping Juvia's face and chest.

"Well, originally, it was a night club. Most of us worked here before it happened."

Juvia raised her brow and eyed the two girls.

"Most of you?" Lucy nodded.

"Yes. Some of us were found and brought here just like you and me. Well, maybe not just like you. The guy who brought me here did the straight forward approach."

Juvia frowned. "Straight forward approach?"

Lucy laughed. "Yeah. He saved my ass from a small hoard and then offered me his hand promising to take me somewhere safe. Here I am."

Juvia scowled at the ground. "Why was Juvia kidnapped?"

Levy laughed hysterically and Lucy joined in.

"Gray didn't know exactly how to talk to you about coming with him. He was nervous, so..." Levy's voice trailed off as she stifled a giggle.

Juvia couldn't help but smile. Their laughter was contagious.

"Does Gray Sama have any other victims?" She asked jokingly.

The girls got quiet and Lucy spoke.

"Here's the thing... When you bring a survivor home, they become your partner. You only get one.

However, if we go out in groups, we are allowed to bring multiple survivors. It's a rule master gave us." She explained.

Juvia leaned against the wall as she tried to process the information.

"Partner? What does that mean? Why only one?" She was very confused.

Levy set down the rag and turned to face Juvia.

"When we leave on solo missions, we are allowed to bring home one survivor and only one.

Since there aren't many survivors, it isn't too big of an issue. When we bring home a survivor, they are assigned as our partner.

Once you have a partner, you no longer do solo missions. They have your back and you have theirs."

Juvia leaned forward and rested her elbows on her knees.

"So, Juvia is now Gray Sama's partner?"

They both nodded in unison. "Yep." Lucy smiled wide.

Juvia's brow furrowed.

"Juvia was fine on her own. Why did he take her?"

Lucy patted her on the back.

"'Cause you're so pretty. Haha. And you are handy with that bat. It was official when you saved his ass." Levy shrugged.

Juvia sighed and looked around.

"You seem to have a whole system going? When did it happen for you?"

For Juvia, this whole mess started 2 days ago.

Had it hit Magnolia sooner?

Levy looked to the floor.

"It hit Magnolia first. We have been living like this for over 6 months. When did it happen for you? Where are you from?"

Juvia couldn't believe that it had been 6 months for them.

"Juvia is from Oak Town. It's not too far from here. Juvia is surprised that it just hit us a couple of days ago, if what you say is true."

Lucy smiled. "You're one of the lucky ones. My father was turned 3 months ago. I had to kill him myself.

I ran off after that, trying to find a safe place. Natsu found me in Hargeon surrounded on all sides. He saved me and brought me home."

Juvia grabbed the girl's hand.

"Juvia is so sorry. She can't imagine..."

Lucy waved her hand in front of her.

"What is done is done. All we can do is survive."

Juvia nodded. Levy stood and walked to the cell door.

"Get changed and meet us upstairs?"

Lucy pulled the clothes from her satchel and handed them to her. "Here. We look around the same size. They should fit."

Juvia took the clothes and thanked the girls as they left the room.

Juvia stripped down and pulled on the new outfit.

She was now wearing a white tank top, pink zip up jacket and a rather short denim skirt.

She pulled back on her thigh highs and boots.

This outfit wasn't exactly her style, but she wasn't about to complain.

She exited the cell and climbed the stairs before rounding a corner to find a bar area with people scattered around.

She saw Gray sitting at the bar talking to a platinum haired bar maid.

Now that she knew what was going on, she kind of felt bad for blowing up... Kind of.

She approached him and tapped his shoulder.

Gray turned to face her and immediately noticed her trusty bat resting casually on her shoulder.

"They explained, right?" He asked with concern for his own safety.

She looked at the spiked bat on her shoulder and smiled before turning her attention back to him.

"Yes. They filled Juvia in. Juvia will be your partner on one condition."

He stood from the bar stool and shoved his hands in his pockets.

"What is the condition?"

She cocked her hip to the side and rested her hand on it.

"Gray Sama is going to help Juvia find Gajeel Kun. If he doesn't, Juvia leaves."

He groaned. "Is that all? What? Is he like your boyfriend or something?"

He shifted uncomfortably under her stare.

She was silent for a minute before laughing.

"No. Gajeel-Kun is like family."

Gray breathed a sigh of relief but then felt his chest tighten when he saw the new expression on Juvia's face.

"Gajeel-Kun is the only family Juvia has. Please help her find him?" He nodded.

"How can I say no when you look at me like that? Fine. We'll take a group."

Juvia beamed brightly at him with tears in her eyes.

"Thank you Gray Sama! Juvia will try her best to be a good partner."

Gray smiled at her. "So, other than that bat, do you know how to defend yourself?"

Juvia smirked. "Of course. Gajeel-Kun made sure Juvia could take care of herself.

He taught Juvia hand to hand combat, how to use and care for firearms and as his most important lesson,

taught Juvia that almost anything can be used as a weapon if she needs to get creative in a pinch."

Gray crossed his arms and nodded.

"So, this Gajeel... He sounds like a real bad ass."

Juvia smiled and nodded excitedly.

"Juvia can't wait for Gray Sama to meet him."

He chuckled and turned to scan the room.

"Lucy! Levy! Get Natsu. We're going on a search and rescue."

Levy's eyes bugged and she waved her arms wildly.

"I don't do feild work!"

Gray laughed and messed up her hair.

"You do today. You need a partner anyway, so let's go."

Levy was not thrilled with the idea of leaving the base, but she was intrigued to meet this Gajeel.

He certainly sounded like an unusual fellow.

If he was as tough as he sounded, he would make a good partner.

Levy sighed and followed after them.

"I'm coming!"

* * *

 ***AUTHOR'S NOTE*** The main purpose of this chapter was to explain Fairy Tail and their "buddy system". Next chapter will be titled "Lost."

If you check out my Tumblr, you can find the comic version of this story. I will be drawing up this chapter soon and posting it within a few days.

On Tumblr I am Peoniespoppiesandowlsohmy. The comic version of this is something special I am doing just for my blog. I was going to just stick with the written story but

decided that turning it into a manga/ comic type thing sounded interesting. The panels for chapter one are already up, so if you like this story and have Tumblr,

look me up and check it out. Thanks for reading!


	3. Chapter 3

**Survival of the Fairies Ch. 3**

 **Lost**

Let's go find Gajeel!

* * *

"Gray Sama, Juvia thinks we should check back at Metallicana for Gajeel Kun first."

Her long cerulean curls were pulled back into a pony tail and her bloody, spiked bat was draped over her shoulder casually.

He nodded.

"You're right. Come on guys. I'll lead the way."

Gray led them through the abandoned streets of Magnolia, back to the main road through the town to the truck where he found her.

"Who's Metallicana?" Natsu asked as he scratched his head.

Juvia laughed.

"Now who. What. Metallicana is Gajeel Kun's truck."

The pink haired boy crossed his arms and cocked a rosy brow high in the air.

"That's a pretty funny name for a truck."

Levy smiled.

"By the sounds of this guy, I'd say it makes perfect sense."

As they came to the main road, Metallicana was in clear view.

Juvia ran to it, the others following close on her heels.

She stopped when she got a few feet away, noticing all of the bloody hand smears on the front and back door.

"Somebody was here." Juvia narrowed her eyes and swung open the front door of the truck.

She peeked around the inside to be sure that there were no dead or looters lurking.

It was, fortunately and unfortunately empty.

She began digging around to make sure nothing had been stolen.

She noticed that Gajeel's personal pack and supplies were gone.

She was about to announce that a looter must have come through when she noticed something off.

Normally, Gajeel keeps a picture of them together on his sun visor above the driver's side.

She climbed into the driver's seat and tugged the visor down.

The picture was gone and all that remained was a bloody smudge.

She smiled at first, happy to know that Gajeel did indeed return to her.

That smile soon faded and became a ferocious snarl.

She wasn't there when he came for her.

Who's fault was that?

She lunged from the truck and landed atop the now bewildered dark haired man.

"THIS IS ALL GRAY SAMA'S FAULT!" She screamed.

Lucy whisper shouted at the pair to keep it down.

"Could you guys fucking not? Do you want to be eaten alive?!"

Juvia pulled herself off of him and growled lowly in her throat.

She gripped her bat tightly in her fist.

"He came back. Juvia wasn't here for Gajeel Kun!"

Gray picked himself off the ground and whispered a weak apology, feeling genuinely sorry about what he had done.

Natsu patted the raven haired boy's shoulder.

"The sooner we find this Gajeel, the better."

Gray nodded.

"Where do we check now?" Lucy asked as she adjusted her shorts.

Juvia looked around and then to the ground.

She saw a faint trail of large bloody boot prints heading off into the wood line.

She smiled.

Her and Gajeel had spent quite a few nights living in the woods between finding places to crash.

She rested her bat on her shoulder and began following the trail.

"Juvia has an idea."

They followed closely behind her, wondering how she knew where to go if she had never been to Magnolia.

"Hey, Juvia? Do you know where you are going?" Lucy asked timidly while eyeing her bat in fear.

She shrugged.

"Not really, but Juvia knows Gajeel Kun came through these woods."

Lucy looked to Levy and shrugged.

They continued their search in silence, trying to remain quiet so as not to attract any dead.

They were passing a shrub covered ditch when the group heard Lucy's ear splitting scream.

they quickly snapped around to find her ankle being grasped through the shrubbery.

She was on the ground trying to crawl away and kicking her legs.

Natsu immediately jumped into action.

He grabbed the arm that was protruding from the bush and snapped it backwards, breaking it off.

He tossed it into the shrubbery and picked Lucy up from the ground.

"Are you okay?" He looked her over closely and picked some leaves from her hair.

She nodded.

The woods began to fill with blood curdling sounds.

The dead were approaching and there were going to be a lot of them.

They heard the sound from all sides.

"This isn't good, is it?" Levy began to panic.

Lucy cursed under her breath.

"I'm sorry. This is my fault. I should have had more control over myself."

Natsu shook his head.

"You got grabbed without warning. Anyone would have screamed. Even me."

Gray chuckled and nudged Juvia.

"Get ready to fight."

Juvia nodded and parted her legs, bending her knees slightly as she cocked her bat behind her, ready to swing at a moments notice.

Lucy pulled the whip from her hip and cracked it on the ground.

Levy slid an iron pipe from the pack on her back and mimicked Juvia's fighting stance to the best of her ability.

Gray whipped out a large hunting knife and prepared to start slashing.

Natsu laughed and readied his weapon.

Juvia turned to look at the pink haired lunatic.

They are about to be surrounded by a hoard and he is laughing?

She couldn't believe what she was seeing.

In his right hand was a can of hair spray and in his left was a lighter.

"Natsu San! You can't use fire in the forest! You will burn the place down!" She scolded.

Lucy sighed and shook her head.

"Can't reason with him when it comes to fire."

The stench grew stronger as the dead approached.

When the first wave hit, it was small.

Lucy's whip made for some brutal decapitation while Juvia's bat mercilessly cracked more than a few skulls.

Levy stuck to the center of the group as she wasn't used to fighting.

This was a rather eventful first field trip off the Fairy base.

She did end up having to bash a few skulls in, which much to her surprise was kind of fun.

Like whack a mole, but deadly.

Gray swung his knife, slicing and dicing his opponents like a beautifully choreographed dance.

Wanting to save his attack for the final wave, Natsu opted to use his body as a weapon.

He punched, kicked and stomped every corpse that shambled his way.

Another wave approached.

This one was the big one, Natsu decided.

He pulled out the hair spray and lit his lighter in front of it, releasing the flames.

He turned in a circle around his friends, surrounding them in a barrier of fire.

They all huddled together as the corpses fell to the ground one by one it roasted heaps.

the stench of death amplified and Levy was gagging.

The others were used to it and although this was new for Juvia, she didn't seem to be bothered.

Lucy rubbed Levy's back as they waited for the fire to die down.

When the flames finally subsided enough for them to escape the circle, Juvia pointed around the now charred and practically barren woods.

"See?!"

Natsu shrugged.

"We're alive. Don't get your panties in a twist."

Juvia gripped her bat and wiped some sweat and blood from her face.

Seeing her growing anger and knowing that she is still angry with him on top of that, Gray chose to stay out of it.

"Alive? We could have been roasted with them!" she argued as she tossed her hand in the direction of a pile of burnt corpses.

Natsu groaned and threw his head back to look at Gray.

"Dude, control your woman, would ya? "

Lucy swept her foot out, knocking Natsu to the ground.

"Watch your mouth, Dragneel." She threatened.

Juvia turned to glare at Gray.

He threw his hands up and shook his head.

"Don't look at me! He said it!"

Juvia turned to Natsu who was picking himself up off the ground.

"Juvia is not Gray Sama's woman." She corrected him.

Gray shoved his hands in his pockets and looked to the ground as they continued walking.

He wouldn't admit it out loud, but that kind of hurt to hear her say that.

He knew that she wasn't used to Fairy Tail or the system. This was her first day, after all.

But he still couldn't help but feel disappointed.

Juvia smirked and tightened her pony tail.

"Yet."

' _If Gray Sama successfully helps Juvia find Gajeel, Juvia will gladly be Gray Sama's partner_.'

Gray's heart pounded in his chest.

 _'Well... It isn't a no._ '

Juvia found it odd that Natsu had said woman instead of partner, but maybe that was just how they referred to female partners?

So maybe the males would be their men?

She wasn't sure, but that was what she was understanding at the moment.

Gray watched her walk in front of him as they traveled through the forest.

He chose her to be his partner and felt like a jerk for not even considering rejection.

Especially after the way he recruited her?

That wasn't even recruiting.

That was straight up kidnapping.

He was lucky that she didn't bash his brains in when she had the chance.

He took that last bit as a positive sign.

' _Since she hasn't killed me yet, maybe I have a chance... Right_?'

They searched high and low, climbing trees and surveying ditches but still couldn't find Gajeel.

It was beginning to get dark and thus more dangerous to be out.

"It's getting dark. We don't have much time. Natsu, the tree house. It's about a 15 minute walk from here, right?"

Gray asked the pink haired pyro.

"Yeah. We'll get there in no time. Let's go."

They led the ladies through the forest to their old tree house they played in as children.

Juvia lagged behind a bit, upset that they hadn't found Gajeel yet.

She knew he couldn't have gone too far.

She was only out for a day.

She was about to catch up to the group when something caught her eye.

She crouched down on the side of the trail and lifted a cloth from the ground.

It was red with a black chevron pattern.

"Gajeel Kun." She smiled and ran to the group with her find.

"This belongs to Gajeel Kun! He must have came through here!"

Gray smiled.

"See? We'll find him."

Juvia nodded and bounced in place.

"Come on. We are losing light." Natsu urged them on.

A few minutes later they came to a tall tree with a rickety looking shelter built within its outstretched branches.

Natsu climbed the ladder first to be sure it was safe for the others.

He entered the tree house and popped his head out with a thumbs up.

Everyone climbed up, Gray going last to protect the others.

Once Gray entered, he pulled the ladder inside.

"We'll sleep here and head out to continue the search by morning." Gray instructed.

They all agreed and lay down to sleep as dark crept over them.

Lucy slept cuddled up to Natsu while Levy cuddled up to Lucy.

Juvia tried to sleep alone in a corner but Gray saw that she was shivering.

He slowly scooted closer until his chest was pressed against her back.

"I realize that you are probably still mad at me and I know that we aren't partners yet, but even so, you should be warm."

She sighed between teeth chattering.

"Fine. Juvia will permit it. Just this once."

He wrapped his arms around her and nuzzled his face into her hair.

"Better?" He murmured.

Her chattering slowed and she nodded slowly.

"A little."

Soon, they all succumbed to sleep.

* * *

When Gray woke up, his arms were empty.

He shot up and looked around.

Natsu was spread out on the floor and Lucy was Laying across his chest while Levy was laying across his legs like human blankets.

Juvia was nowhere to be found.

"Wake up! Juvia's gone!" He shouted and kicked at the pyro's foot.

Natsu flailed while trying to sit up but couldn't.

"Luce, Lev! Get off me!"

the girls groaned but never moved.

"I'll singe off your eyelashes. Think I won't? Try me." He warned.

The girls scrambled off of him and sat at attention.

Gray glared at his friends.

"Juvia is missing. We need to find her."

Lucy sighed.

"I bet she went to find Gajeel on her own."

Natsu nodded.

"Yeah. She is a little crazy. I wouldn't put it past her."

Levy rolled her eyes.

"I don't think so. She is smart. Besides, she asked for our help. Why would she do that and then run off?"

Gray pinched the bridge of his nose.

"Levy is right. But I still want to find her, just in case. Come on."

He climbed down the ladder and began following the foot prints in the dirt.

The group followed him until they all found her.

She was standing in the river, watching the water vigorously.

She was standing in a position like she was hunting something.

They watch as her arms dove in and quickly pulled up a fish.

Natsu's face lit up and he jumped into the water beside her.

"Whoa! That is so cool! Teach me!" He said excitedly.

Juvia laughed and handed him the fish, telling him to take it to shore.

Gray waded into the water beside her and glared at her.

"You made me worry."

She smiled and bumped him with her shoulder.

"That's sweet of Gray Sama, but Juvia can care for herself."

She spotted a fish and dove her hands back into the water with remarkable speed, retrieving another fish.

She handed this one to Gray and pointed to the shore.

He turned at did as she asked.

The girls had never even heard of hand fishing before.

They got on either side of Juvia and watched her work, trying to copy her, but Levy just fell into the water and Lucy was grabbing everything but fish.

Juvia caught fish for them and sent them to shore with the boys, finally catching one for herself and joining them.

Natsu had started a fire while she was fishing.

He was already cooking the fish.

She handed him hers to prepare.

"I have never seen anyone hand fish before! That's pretty neat!" Natsu grinned.

They all nodded in agreement.

"How'd you manage to learn that?" Gray asked curiously.

She shrugged.

"Self taught. It took a lot of patience and hard work, but it paid off. Juvia ran away a lot before meeting Gajeel Kun. She had to feed herself somehow."

Gray wanted to ask why she ran away a lot, but decided to let her talk about it in her own time.

After eating, Juvia took their empty water bottles to the river to refill them.

After they were filled, she went to stand but her hand brushed something metallic in the sand.

She grabbed the small item and held it up.

It was a metal grommet from Gajeel's belt.

She nearly fell over from excitement.

She quickly ran to the others.

"Of course! Gajeel Kun was here!"

She showed them the grommet.

They stared at her blankly, not understanding how she jumped to that conclusion.

It could have been anyone's grommet.

They were quite positive that this Gajeel wasn't the only one who wore things like that.

Juvia sighed loudly and began to explain.

"Juvia taught Gajeel Kun how to hand fish. He must have stopped by here to catch a meal."

They all gave an awkward "Ohhh." In unison.

She rolled her eyes and began walking.

"Come on, Chances are that Gajeel Kun won't just pop up. He will be hiding."

They followed, trusting her judgement on the mystery man.

Juvia knew how Gajeel was.

He would never stay out in the open. He would get creative and hide.

Gajeel may be a brute, but he was no dummy.

Gray put himself in front of Juvia, so that if they were attacked from the front, He would be hit first.

Natsu stationed himself in the back.

As they walked down the trail, Gray suddenly plummeted through a pit fall trap.

"Shit!" He hissed from in the hole.

Juvia and the others peeked in to find him hanging halfway down from a large tree root.

Below him were 3 hungry corpses reaching for his legs.

"Oh no!" Levy's hands flew to her face and she began trying to devise a plan.

Natsu went to look for some strong vines.

Lucy was trying to help Levy think.

Juvia watched Gray kick at the hands reaching for him and jumped into action.

She snatched the whip from Lucy's hip and lowered it down to him.

"Grab on, Gray Sama! Everyone, help Juvia pull him up!" She ordered.

Gray shook his head.

"I can't risk you guys falling in, too." He argued.

Juvia shook the whip at him.

"Gray Sama promised to help Juvia! Gray Sama doesn't get to die!" She reminded him.

He shakes his head again, refusing to be responsible for their possible deaths.

Tears begin to stream down her face and she cracks the whip at him impatiently.

"JUVIA CAN'T JUST LET HER PARTNER DIE! JUVIA NEEDS GRAY SAMA! PLEASE! LIVE FOR JUVIA!"

Gray stared at her in disbelief.

Levy grabbed Juvia's waist, Lucy levy's and Natsu Lucy's.

Gray nodded and took a deep breath, gripping the whip for dear life.

They all pulled back until they were in a pile on top of Natsu.

Gray grabbed the edge of the pit and pulled himself up.

He walked over to help them up.

"Thanks... I, uh... I'm sorry for being stubborn."

Natsu shrugged.

"You're alive. That's all that matters. Let's get going."

Natsu brushed past him and continued onward.

Juvia gave Lucy back her whip and walked with them behind Natsu.

Gray caught up to them and tugged Juvia's arm.

She slowed her pace to hang back a little with him.

"Gray Sama?"

He scratched the back of his head.

"Thanks for saving me... Again."

She shrugged and smiled.

"Gray Sama would do the same for Juvia."

He shoved his hands into his pockets and watched her from the corner of his eye.

"Did you mean it, about being my partner?"

She nodded.

"Gray Sama nearly died trying to help her find her friend. Juvia thinks it's only fair, right?"

She smiled and moved her bat to her other shoulder.

Gray smiled and nodded.

It wasn't like a fairy tale where the prince saves the girl and wins her heart.

No, it was reverse.

But maybe he had won her heart anyway?

He wasn't sure, but her agreeing to be his woman was a start.

They searched the woods for hours.

It was getting late again and they had no idea exactly how far they had traveled.

They were searching for a form of shelter when Gray spotted a large chunk of wood on the ground.

He kicked the wood with his foot, pushing it aside.

This action revealed a tunnel underneath, the wood was serving as a door of sorts.

"A tunnel, huh? I'll check it out."

Natsu pulled out his lighter and dropped into the hole.

He and his small flame disappeared momentarily before resurfacing.

"It's clear. It looks like someone is living here though."

He ducked back into the hole and disappeared again.

Gray nudged the girls.

"Go ahead."

They all dropped in one by one.

Gray dropped in last and dragged the wood back over the hole.

They all followed the tunnel to the end where it had split left, creating a new tunnel.

In this tunnel, a room was dug out on the right.

Natsu enters the room, followed closely by the girls and Gray.

Juvia pulls a flash light from her pack because Natsu's lighter just isn't enough light in these dark tunnels.

The room was filled with light from her flashlight.

She spotted something familiar in the corner and gasped as she handed Gray the flash light.

In the corner was Gajeel's pack and beside that, their photo.

Juvia knelt to the ground and picked up the photo, running a delicate finger across the image of Gajeel.

Levy peeked over her shoulder.

"Is that Gajeel?"

Juvia nodded and smiled, hugging the photo to her chest protectively.

"You really love him, huh? He must be a lot nicer than he looks." Levy observed.

Juvia shrugged and giggled.

"Gajeel Kun can be pretty rough, but he is Juvia's family."

Natsu plopped down onto the dirt covered ground.

"Well, since this appears to be where this Gajeel is crashing, we should wait for him to return."

Juvia put the picture down and nodded.

"Yes, Juvia thinks this would be the best course of action."

Gray decided to go stand guard at the entrance.

He left the room and walked through the main tunnel, not realizing that Juvia was right behind him.

He turned around when he reached the entrance and Juvia nearly smacked into him.

"Oh, Juvia." He grabbed her shoulders to steady her.

"Sorry. Juvia just thinks it would be best for Gajeel Kun to see a familiar face first."

He thought about it and remembered the picture he had seen.

"Yeah. Probably for the best."

She giggled and stood guard beside him.

"Thank you for helping Juvia, Gray Sama." She said softly.

He put his hands deep in his pockets and leaned against the dirt wall.

"Anything you need, I'm here for you."

She blushed and bumped him with her shoulder.

"Same goes for Gray Sama. That's what partners are for, right?"

He nodded and smiled in the darkness.

"That's right."

"Hey! Get in here, we got some things to discuss. You can be all lovey dovey later!" Natsu's voice called out from down the dark tunnel.

Gray grabbed Juvia's arm and led her down the hall to the room.

Juvia was trying to understand why Natsu said lovey dovey.

Was he just trying to tease Gray?

She decided to let it go.

He was probably just messing around.

When they entered the room, the group was sitting around the flashlight.

Gray and Juvia sat down, completing the circle.

"Hey, Juv, I need you to fill us in on this Gajeel guy. Is he going to try to hurt us? Is he trust worthy?"

Natsu questioned the blunette seriously.

Juvia crossed her arms and huffed.

"Of course Gajeel Kun is trust worthy! And he won't hurt you so long as you don't threaten him." Her voice trailed off and she shifted awkwardly.

Knowing how Gajeel was before the apocalypse, she knew he would probably be worse now.

She could see him snapping some necks.

She chose to leave that bit out.

Natsu hummed to himself as he eyed Juvia with uncertainty.

"I think it would be best for you to confront him first. He doesn't seem like the buddy buddy type."

Juvia opened her mouth to respond, but Natsu wasn't done.

"And once you fill him in on us and Fairy Tail, try to convince him to take Levy as his partner. She needs more field experience."

Juvia nodded.

"Juvia is sure Gajeel Kun will make a great partner for Levy San."

Levy shifted awkwardly beside Juvia.

Juvia turned to look at the small girl and noticed a blush on her cheeks.

"Why does Levy San seem shy about getting a partner?"

Lucy laughed and pulled the girls to the tunnel.

"Juvia, I am so sorry. We forgot to tell you something important about partnerships in Fairy tail."

She looked between the two and waited.

Levy twisted and played with her hands.

"Well, what doesn't Juvia know?"

Levy leaned in to whisper to Juvia.

"There is a reason we can only bring one survivor, only have one partner and why Master insists that we choose wisely."

Juvia's brows furrowed, trying to think of a possible reason for that.

"They become your partner in every sense of the word. _EVERY_ sense of the word. Do you see?"

Juvia's eyes widened and she stood up straight.

She flashed her panicked eyes behind her to look at Gray.

He was chatting with Natsu about something.

She grabbed Levy by the shoulders and began to freak out.

"What?! Why didn't you tell Juvia in the first place?! Now what is Juvia going to do?!" She quietly scolded.

Lucy pulled Juvia away from Levy.

"Calm down. If this makes you uncomfortable, talk to Gray about it. He'll understand."

Juvia nodded and slowly turned back to the entrance of the room.

Her heart pounded wildly in her chest as she tapped his shoulder.

"Gray Sama, Juvia would like to talk in private."

"Oh, sure." He stood up and followed her into the tunnels.

She turned to face him even though she could barely see him.

"Levy San and Lucy San apparently did not give Juvia all of the partnership information..."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, it would appear that they left out a very important detail."

"Which detail?" Gray knew this couldn't be good.

"The part where Juvia is meant to be Gray Sama's ... Love interest..."

She didn't really know of a fitting word for the situation.

"Oh. So you didn't... You don't.. Wow. This is awkward." He scratched his head and felt his heart drop to his stomach.

"Gray Sama, Juvia doesn't think she can be your partner if this is what it implies..."

Well, this certainly hurt like a bitch.

To save face and not let her know that she just ripped out his heart and stomped all over it, he lied.

"It's fine. No pressure. I don't mind."

Juvia could see through what he was trying to put out.

Master told them to choose their partners carefully and he chose her. She wasn't that clueless.

"Gray Sama, it's nothing against you. In fact, Juvia is quite attracted to Gray Sama." She smiled in the dark.

"You are?" A flicker of hope ignited in his shattered heart.

"Yes! Gray Sama is very handsome and he fights well. Also, he has been kind to Juvia, aside from the kidnapping..."

Gray groaned.

"You are never going to let that go are you?"

She laughed. "Nope."

"Well, if you kind of like me, what's so bad about being my partner?"

She sighed.

"It's just too much for Juvia. Too many things happening all at once." She whispered.

Gray shrugged.

"End of the world. What are you gonna do?" He chuckled.

She laughed and nodded.

"Yes, Gray Sama is right. Juvia will think on it and answer Gray Sama when we return to Fairy Tail. Fair enough?"

He nodded.

"Yeah. That's fair."

They went back to the room to find Natsu complaining of hunger.

Juvia remembered that she had snagged a few candy bars when she was at the gas station that first day.

She pulled off her pack and distributed the sweets.

"Juvia knows it isn't much, but it should be almost dark by now and it isn't safe to hunt."

Gray took a bite of the candy and smiled.

"It'll do just fine for now, Juvia. Thanks."

Juvia began digging through Gajeel's bag while her candy bar dangled from her mouth.

She found the clothes that he had been wearing the day he left her.

They were tattered and blood stained.

She found his hygiene kit and one of his pairs of combat boots.

She sighed sadly and closed up the bag.

Gray scooted closer to her.

"What is it?"

She frowned and swallowed a bite of candy.

"Juvia can't believe Gajeel Kun traveled so far from Metallicana. He loves that truck more than Juvia."

Gray laughed.

"I doubt that."

She looked at him with a dead serious expression.

He quit laughing.

Natsu scooted closer to the couple and nudged Juvia with his elbow.

"I know where to get fuel."

Gray crossed his arms and leaned back against the dirt wall.

"A truck like that would be an asset to Fairy Tail..." Gray mused.

Juvia smiled.

"Gajeel Kun would like this Juvia thinks."

Levy crawled over and sat in front of Juvia.

"Do you think Gajeel will like me? I don't really think I am his type..." She glanced warily at the photo in the corner.

Juvia patted her head.

"Not to worry, Levy San. Juvia is sure that Gajeel Kun will come around."

Levy pulled her knees to her chest and stared at the ground.

' _He sure does seem scary..._ '

* * *

 ***AUTHOR'S NOTE*** Next chapter will be titled found. We all know what this means.


	4. Chapter 4

**Survival of the Fairies: Ch. 4**

 **Found**

* * *

"Quiet. Do you hear that?"

Natsu holds his hands out to silence the group huddled together in the dug out room.

When silence fell over them, it was disturbed by a sound that struck fear in most of their hearts, but excitement in a certain blunette's.

The sound of the large wood being dragged away from the entrance sent an electrifying chill down Juvia's spine.

She smiled and stood from her spot on the floor between Gray and Levy.

"It must be Gajeel Kun!" She whispered excitedly.

Gray went to join her as she walked in the direction of the tunnel.

She turned to him and placed a gentle hand on his chest.

"It's probably best if Gray Sama stays here..." She winced at the thought of Gajeel beating him bloody.

He sighed and nodded, deciding that she knows this guy best.

He grabbed her bat from against the wall and handed it to her.

"Y'know... Just in case it's not your friend."

She smiled and accepted the gruesome weapon.

"Juvia will return shortly."

* * *

With her bat cocked back over her shoulder, ready to swing, Juvia carefully began her journey down the dirt tunnel.

She stopped when she saw a shadowy figure far ahead by the entrance.

It was tall and bulky and to the average person would seem terrifying.

Not to Juvia.

She relaxed and let her bat fall to her side.

The figure didn't move.

It was dark and Juvia was aware that Gajeel probably couldn't see anything but her shadowy form.

She figured he was trying to hide in the shadows to prepare for an attack.

"Gajeel Kun." She called to the large figure sweetly.

She saw it begin moving towards her at a terrifying pace.

Now she was scared.

She gripped her bat tightly as she prepared for a worst case scenario.

She squeezed her eyes shut and lifted her bat into the air.

She was tackled to the ground and her bat was ripped from her hands and thrown down the corridor.

She squeaked and tried to loosen the death grip she was being held in.

"Dammit, Juves. I thought ya were dead! What did I tell ya about leaving Metallicana!?"

He lifted her high into the air and squeezed the air out of her.

When he set her down, she wobbled from side to side a bit before regaining her balance.

"Juvia was worried about Gajeel Kun." She smiled in the dark.

He shook his head and lightly popped her in the beck of the head.

"Ya should have a little more faith in me. Like these meat sacks could stop me. Gihi."

She laughed and threw her arms around him.

"Juvia was so worried! She found the blood at the station!"

He pulled her off and crossed his arms.

"That? That's nothin'. Most of the blood wasn't even mine. Ya worry too much."

She shifted from side to side and played with the messy waves falling onto her shoulders from her ponytail.

"Gajeel Kun... Juvia is not alone..."

She needed to tell him now.

Gajeel didn't do well with surprises.

"Someone is here with you?"

She scratched her head and tilted her head to the side.

"Well... More like someones."

She could hear a small growl rumble in his throat.

"How many?"

Juvia played with her hands and roamed her eyes around the darkness.

"Four. But they are friends, Gajeel Kun!" She assured him.

He grunted.

"Friends? You just met them, Juves."

She shook her head and grabbed his hand.

"they have been helping Juvia track Gajeel Kun down! Why would bad people help Juvia look for her friend?"

She heard a metal clanking as Gajeel moved.

Gajeel set his large, blood soaked shovel against the dirt wall.

"Fine, maybe they are nice, but what if they have other motives?"

Juvia looked off to the side and sighed.

They technically did have other motives.

"Well, they do want us to join their guild..."

"Guild? No way in hell. I ran into a guild out there. That shit is bad news, Juves."

Juvia felt confused.

She didn't know that there were other guilds.

What if there wasn't?

"Gajeel Kun ran into a guild?"

he groaned and leaned against the wall.

"Yeah. And they gave me some hell. Don't worry. I returned the favor tenfold."

She had to know.

"Did this guild mention what they were called?"

He laughed.

"Gihi. Yeah. Ass hats called themselves Phantom Lord. Fuckin' lame asses."

Juvia stifled a giggle.

She was relieved that it wasn't Fairy Tail.

If Gajeel hated the name Phantom Lord, he was going to riot when he found out he was being recruited by Fairies.

"Gajeel Kun, The guild with Juvia is kind. They are called Fairy Tail."

Her voice sounded so gushy that Gajeel wondered what was so special about some stupid Fairy guild.

"If I beat the shit out of some phantoms, what makes ya think I'll be gettin' down and chummy with some Fairies?"

She sighed and grabbed his arm.

"Gajeel Kun, just meet them. Please?" She begged as she dragged him down the tunnel.

He grabbed his shovel before she dragged him away.

She nearly tripped over her bat and bent down to retrieve it as they continued to the room.

Juvia entered first with a bright smile.

The room was lit by the flashlight in the center so that all could be seen.

She stepped aside to allow Gajeel entry.

When he stepped in, his large form towered over the seated occupants.

Levy scooted to hide behind Natsu and Lucy.

Gajeel glared at the lot before him.

Levy shook in place.

He was terrifying to behold.

His dark clothes were tattered and stained with blood and dirt.

He was covered in piercings and his eyes matched the blood that stained him.

"Start talkin'. Whaddaya want with me and my little sister?"

Juvia pulled him down to sit beside her and she found a spot beside Gray.

"Gajeel Kun, be nice. Juvia told you that they want us to join Fairy Tail."

He growled in response.

"Mhm. But, why?"

Natsu looked to Gray and waved his hand at Gajeel, silently telling him to explain the mess he dragged them all into.

Gray cleared his throat and waved to the beast of a man sitting beside the pretty blunette.

"Uh, That would be my doing..."

Gajeel turned to face him and narrowed his red eyes at the dark haired boy.

"And who the fuck are you?"

Gray put on a brave front for the girl beside him.

"I'm Gray. I found Juvia and brought her to Fairy Tail."

Juvia rolled her eyes.

' _Probably best if Gajeel Kun is spared the true details...'_

Natsu laughed.

"Liar."

Juvia stared wide eyed at Natsu like as if he had just done the worst thing he could possibly do.

Gray gave a quick panicked glance towards Gajeel who was now leaning over juvia towards him.

Juvia was trying to shove him off.

"Gajeel Kun, no!"

"Ya lyin' to me, ya punk bastard?"

Lucy whacked Natsu in the head and gave him a disapproving look.

Gray backed into the wall and put his arms out in front of him.

"No! I did bring her to Fairy Tail! I did!"

Juvia crawled out from under Gajeel and climbed onto his back, still trying to tug him away from Gray.

"Juvia will explain, Gajeel Kun. Please!"

Gajeel sneered at the boy before pulling away and waiting for Juvia to climb off of him.

She lowered herself between the two and huffed in annoyance.

"Juvia found Gray Sama snooping through Metallicana on her way back from checking the gas station."

Gajeel glared daggers at the boy.

"He raided Metallicana?!"

Juvia put her hand on his arm.

"Yes. Juvia saved Gray Sama from a biter and then..."

Gray winced, expecting a beating after she finished that sentence.

"And then Gray Sama knocked Juvia unconscious and brought her to Fairy Tail..."

Gajeel stood abruptly and stepped over the blunette.

He grabbed the boy by the collar of his red button up shirt and threw him against the wall.

"So ya kidnapped by baby sister and convinced her to stay with ya? Is that how Fairies make friends?"

Juvia grabbed him and tried to pull him off.

"Gajeel Kun! Gray Sama wasn't trying to hurt Juvia! He didn't know how to get me there! He was trying to protect me!"

Gajeel laughed.

"Protect you?! Juves... He KIDNAPPED you!"

She nodded.

"Eh... Yes. He did, but to be fair, Juvia wouldn't have gone with him if he hadn't."

Gajeel released him and looked down to Juvia.

"If he hadn't taken you, I'd have found you at Metallicana like I was supposed to."

Gray rubbed his neck.

"Sorry."

Juvia gave Gray a sympathetic look before turning back to Gajeel.

"That doesn't matter now. Gray Sama and his friends helped Juvia find Gajeel Kun."

Gajeel glanced around the room and smirked before sitting down in his spot.

"Alright. Maybe ya aren't so bad..."

Juvia squeezed between him and Gray.

Gajeel crossed his arms and stared between the two.

"Oi. Why couldn't ya just sit on this side? Ya got a thing for that creepy kidnapper?"

Juvia narrowed her eyes and smacked Gajeel's arm.

"Gray Sama is not a creepy kidnapper."

Gajeel continued to stare.

"Well, somethin's goin' on."

She saw Levy peeking between Lucy and Natsu.

"Well... Gajeel Kun, there is something about Fairy Tail you should know."

Gajeel's studs lifted into the air and he sat back against the wall.

"Better not be nothin' weird."

Juvia made a face that told him shit was gonna get weird.

"Fairy Tail has a buddy system."

He relaxed.

buddy systems weren't weird. They were smart.

"What? Pretty boy is your buddy now?"

Juvia shrugged and waved her hand in a so so motion.

"Ehhh, not exactly. Not yet anyways..."

"Not yet? Well, why can't I be yer partner?"

Juvia blushed and scrunched her nose.

"Gajeel Kun, It's a bit more than just being a buddy or partner..."

His eyes latched onto Gray threateningly.

"Oh?"

Juvia laughed nervously.

"Yes... When you choose a partner in Fairy Tail, they become your partner in every way..."

Gajeel understood what that meant.

He leaned over Juvia again and grabbed Gray's neck, pulling the boy to him.

"So ya chose my sister to come to yer stupid guild because ya liked what ya saw? That it?"

Gray tapped his arm.

Gajeel released the boy and waited.

After choking for air, Gray responded.

"No. I mean... Yes, but no. She is attractive, but I didn't make the decision to bring her until she saved me."

Juvia blushed and smiled.

The girls had already told her this, but hearing it from his mouth was different.

Gajeel gave him a once over and grunted.

"I guess having yer ass is important in a partnership, ain't it..."

Gray nodded and adjusted himself.

Juvia squeezed Gray's hand and gave him an apologetic look.

"Do I have to get a partner if I join this stupid guild?"

Juvia looked over to the short blue waves peeking out from between Natsu and Lucy's blonde and pink.

Juvia pointed to where Levy was hiding.

"Gajeel Kun already has a partner."

He looked to where she was pointing and mistook where she was pointing.

"Oi! Juves, Ya know I don't swing that way!"

Gray and Lucy hit the ground laughing.

Natsu threw his hands up.

"Hell no! Not me! I've got a partner!"

The pink haired pyro grabbed Lucy's hand and waved it in the air.

Levy crawled out from behind the couple and stood to her feet timidly.

Juvia smiled.

"Silly Gajeel Kun... Levy San is your partner."

He looked the tiny girl up and down and smiled.

"Gihi. How is someone so tiny supposed to have my back?"

Levy pouted and crossed her arms.

"I can handle myself just fine." She grumbled.

Gajeel didn't know her, but he had a feeling this wouldn't be so bad.

Juvia nodded and smiled.

"Levy San is very handy with her iron pipe. She has quite the arm, Gajeel Kun."

Levy smiled at her.

"Thank you, Juvia."

Gajeel laughed.

"Gihi. Well, alright then. Fine. I'll be yer partner. Ya got my back, right?"

He grinned wolfishly at her.

Her stomach twisted in knots and her heart raced.

' _Not so scary after all.._.'

"So, Gajeel Kun will join!?" Juvia asked excitedly.

He shrugged.

"Sure. Why the hell not? Probably better than wandering around on our own anyway..."

Juvia squealed and threw her arms around him.

"Thank you!"

He pushed her off and shook his head.

"Yeah, yeah."

Natsu leaned forward and looked Gajeel in the eye.

"You got a truck and I know where to get fuel. How you feel about putting that beast machine to good use?"

Gajeel smirked.

"I'm game."

* * *

Juvia yawned and stretched her arms out.

She fumbled for the flashlight in the dark, accidentally crawling over Gray in the process.

He didn't wake up.

She turned on the flashlight to find all of their friends sleeping in an awkward pile.

Gajeel was on the very bottom with Levy laying across his chest.

Natsu was across his legs and Lucy was on top of him.

Gray had his head on Gajeel's stomach, using him as a pillow it seemed.

Apparently Juvia had ended up across Natsu and Lucy during the night.

Juvia stood and went to check for daylight.

She slowly lifted the wood above her.

Light trickled in through the small crack and she smiled.

They could leave.

She ran back to the room and jumped on the pile of sleepy bodies.

"THE SUN IS UP!" She cheered as she landed on top of them.

A chorus of groans filled the room.

"Oi! I'M NOT A BED. GET THE FUCK OFF!" Gajeel roared as he tossed the fairies off of himself.

Levy clung to him so that she wouldn't be thrown.

"Don't throw me!" She shrieked.

Natsu and Lucy untangled themselves from each other and sat up.

"Daylight, huh?" Natsu yawned.

Juvia pulled Gray into a standing position.

"Yes! Now we can go back to Fairy Tail!" Juvia bounced around.

She was excited to finally have somewhere to call home.

She had just met these people, but they already felt more like home than any place she had ever stayed.

Having Gajeel with her just made it all the more inviting.

Gray smiled and patted her head.

"Alright, calm down. We still have a ways to go before we get there."

Natsu nodded and gathered his pack.

"Yeah. We gotta get some fuel for that truck. Once we fill it up, we can get it back to Fairy Tail."

Gajeel grabbed his things and reached for his shovel.

"I'm the only one allowed behind the wheel, got it?"

They all nodded.

Gajeel led them through the tunnel and took a look outside.

"Alright, it's clear. Let's get goin'."

One by one, they all climbed out of the hole and began their journey back to Metallicana.

"If we go this way for about half an hour and cross the lake, there is a gas station where we can get some fuel."

Natsu pointed ahead.

Gajeel nodded.

"Alright. Let's go."

When they got to the lake Lucy groaned.

"Do we have to swim across?"

Natsu was already entering the water.

Gajeel turned to Juvia and crossed his arms.

"You're up, raindrop."

Juvia smiled and gave a sharp nod.

Gray looked confused, as did Levy.

They all watched as Juvia slowly entered the water.

When she got knee deep, she stretched her arms over her head and twisted her body.

When she was done with her little warm up, she continued walking through the water until she was waist deep.

She then dove under the water and was gone.

They watched to see if she resurfaced, but saw nothing for a good minute.

Gray began to enter the water, preparing to search for her in the river depths if need be.

Gajeel entered the water next to him and placed a hand on his shoulder, wearing a sinister grin.

"Don't worry, pretty boy. Juves and water go together like peanut butter and jelly."

Gray looked at the hand on his shoulder and frowned.

"If you say so..."

Juvia reemerged on the other side and walked onto the shore.

She waved wildly and smiled.

"I didn't realize she could hold her breath for so long." Gray was impressed.

Gajeel laughed and crossed his arms.

"Juves was the swim champ in high school. That girl might as well be a fish."

Gajeel grabbed Natsu's arm.

"Some should stay behind to watch the supplies."

Natsu nodded. All of their packs were on the shore.

He didn't think about that.

Levy offered to stay.

Gajeel rolled his eyes.

"I guess that means I gotta stay?"

Natsu smirked.

"Yep. Come on Luce."

The three team mates swam to meet Juvia on the other side while Gajeel walked over to Levy who was sitting by the packs on the sand.

"Why'd you offer to stay, shrimp?"

The petite blunette scowled at him and sighed.

"This is my first time leaving the Fairy Base. I never get to go on missions because I never had a partner."

She leaned back, propping herself up with her hands behind her.

"The only reason I was brought on this mission was because I needed to get a partner."

Gajeel crossed his arms and scoffed.

"ya don't need no partner."

She rolled her eyes.

"To go on missions you do."

He glanced at her from the corner of his eye.

"Don't like being cooped up on that base, do ya?"

She shook her head.

"Not particularly."

He turned to face her.

"What exactly do ya do there if ya don't do missions?"

She shrugged.

"I make sure the guild stays running. I monitor the members and make sure everything runs smoothly."

He patted her on the head and laughed.

"Such a big job for such a tiny person."

She swatted his hand away.

"Yeah, well... It's supposed to be the Master's job, but he really likes to delegate responsibilities."

"Gihi. Sounds like a pain."

She nodded.

"Yeah, but now that you are my partner, we can go on missions."

He smiled.

"Sure, shrimp."

Across the river they saw Juvia emerge from the trees. Shortly after, Natsu, Gray and Lucy followed.

Natsu and Gray were each carrying a red container of gas.

Juvia dove into the water and disappeared again.

Lucy lazily entered the water and paddled her way to the other side.

Gray and Natsu clumsily swam to the other side, holding the gas containers above their heads with one arm.

Juvia got to the other side long before they even got halfway across.

She skipped over to Gajeel and Levy, flinging water all over the place.

Juvia snatched Gajeel's pack from the ground and began digging through it.

"Oi, whaddaya think yer doin', raindrop?"

She smiled and pulled out an unused shirt and boxers from his pack.

"Juvia is not staying in wet clothes all day. Her clothes are still in the truck."

She walked over to the treeline and hid behind some foliage to change.

"Ya coulda grabbed some damn pants ya fuckin' nudist!" He shouted to her.

Lucy climbed out of the water and glared at the new addition to their team.

"Keep it down. Last thing we need is to attract any dead."

He rolled his eyes.

"I can take 'em."

She growled and grabbed her pack to change.

"That's not the point."

Lucy joined Juvia behind the trees.

"She always so fun?" Gajeel asked sarcastically.

Levy frowned.

"She was right, you know."

He stood to his feet and crossed his arms.

"Yeah, yeah."

Gray and Natsu emerged from the water and set the containers on the ground.

"That was easy!" Natsu grinned and stood with his hands on his hips.

Gray shook his head.

"That's bullshit and you know it."

Natsu shrugged.

"Eh. It could have been worse."

Gray reached into his pack and pulled out a set of clothes.

When he looked up, Juvia was walking towards him.

"What the hell are you wearing?! Who's even are those?!" Gray averted his eyes.

Juvia looked down and pulled the over sized shirt out a little as she twisted around to check herself.

"Juvia is wearing clothes. It's just Gajeel Kun's boxers, Gray Sama. Calm down."

Gray furrowed his brows and grumbled obscenities to himself under his breath as he went to change.

Natsu followed close behind with his own change of clothes.

Lucy came up behind juvia and laughed.

"I think Gray might be a little jealous."

Gajeel laughed.

"He ain't got no reason to be."

Levy smiled, happy to hear that Gajeel really did only see Juvia as a friend.

Juvia shrugged.

"It's just clothes."

Lucy shook her head.

"You never know with Gray. He used to swear he would never get a partner and would sneak out on solo missions. That's how he found you."

Juvia stopped messing with her pack and turned to face Lucy.

"He did?"

Levy nodded.

"We were really surprised when he brought you in and said you were going to be his partner."

"Yeah. Gray isn't really much of a partner type. He is usually a loner. Things change I guess."

Lucy shrugged and hoisted her pack onto her back.

Juvia looked down to her pack and sighed.

"Juvia supposes so..."

They all gathered their things and resumed their walk to Metallicana.

Gray and Natsu argued non stop for hours about anything and everything.

Currently, they were arguing about who was a better group leader.

"You can't even keep your shirt on for more than 5 minutes!" Natsu gestured to Gray's now bare torso.

He had sent his shirt flying for a second time over half an hour ago and again, Juvia was carrying it for him.

"And you can't even fight on a mission without burning down everything around you!"

Gajeel and Levy lagged behind, chatting and getting to know each other.

Juvia began to recognize the area of the woods they were walking through.

In a panic, her eyes quickly darted ahead.

2 more steps and both boys were dropping into that pit... again.

Juvia grabbed both boys by the collars of their shirts and yanked them back.

Lucy hadn't been paying attention until Natsu was knocked into her.

"Gray Sama and Natsu San should pay attention more and fight less."

She pointed to the pit trap that Gray had fallen into the day before.

Gray scratched the back of his head and frowned.

He felt pretty stupid.

This was the third time she had saved his ass and this was only their first week knowing each other.

He hadn't saved her a single time.

"Uh... Thanks. Again..."

She smiled.

Natsu placed his hands behind his head and stepped around the pit.

"I knew that."

Lucy shook her head and sighed.

"Sure you did."

* * *

"It's gonna be dark soon. The tree house is only a few minutes this way. Juvia, you feel like catching dinner?"

Gray glanced at her briefly for confirmation.

"Sure, Gray Sama. Gajeel Kun can help."

They walked a while longer before coming to the tree house.

They all put their packs in the shelter before heading to the river.

It was still bright outside, but would be getting dark within the next couple of hours.

Juvia and Gajeel entered the water and began their hunt.

Natsu began building a fire with Lucy while Levy and Gray joined Gajeel and Juvia in the water to take their catches to shore as they were caught.

After an hour and a half of patient and aggressive hand fishing, dinner was ready.

They ate quickly, trying to beat the time.

By the time they returned to the tree house, it was dark and the dead could be heard and smelled all around.

They quickly scurried into the shelter and pulled up the rope ladder.

"That was a little closer than I'd like to admit..." Lucy fell back onto the floor.

"Well, we're alive, so all in all, I'd say it's a good day." Natsu grinned down at her.

She rolled her eyes.

"That's one way to look at it."

"Oi. No usin' me as a bed, ya damn cuddle monsters." Gajeel growled as he lay down on the floor in the corner.

"Cuddle monsters?" Levy teased.

"Shut it, shrimp."

She giggled and lay down next to him.

"What are ya doin', shorty?"

She rested her head on his chest and poked his face.

"Using you as a bed. What does it look like I'm doing?"

Juvia smiled as she witnessed a never before seen blush creep onto Gajeel's face.

"Fine. But nobody else, got it?" He looked around the room and pointed his finger at the group, attempting to look intimidating but failing miserably.

Natsu and Lucy cuddled up in the corner as Natsu gave Gajeel a sarcastic salute.

Juvia once again tried to sleep alone, but Gray wasn't having it.

She sighed as his arm wrapped around her from behind.

"You'll get cold." He whispered into her ear.

She blushed.

"O-okay..."

* * *

When morning light poured through the cracks in the wood, Juvia sat up.

She smiled at what she saw.

Somehow everyone ended up on top of Gajeel again.

Probably on purpose just to spite him.

Juvia and Gray were still where they had originally fallen asleep.

She shook his shoulder.

"Gray Sama..." She whispered into his ear.

His eyes opened slowly and he smiled.

"Morning already?" He mumbled sleepily.

She nodded.

"Mhm. Time to wake them up."

He sat up and stretched.

"He's like a magnet, huh?" Gray laughed.

Juvia shrugged.

"Must be."

They crawled over to the pile of their friends and began dragging them off of Gajeel.

Juvia grabbed Lucy and pulled while gray did the same for Natsu.

They left levy alone.

She was entirely on top of him, curled up on his torso.

"Levy San is very much like a cat, isn't she, Gray Sama?" Juvia giggled.

He laughed.

"That's not something you see everyday."

"Time to wake up!" Juvia cheered loudly.

Natsu shot up and rubbed his eyes.

"I'm up!"

Lucy slowly sat up and yawned.

"I wanted to sleep longer."

Gajeel had opened his eyes, but was unable to force himself to move.

He gently poked the tiny woman curled up on his chest.

"Oi. Shrimp, it's time to get up."

She stirred but didn't budge.

He sighed and glanced at Juvia.

"A little help?"

Juvia smiled and put her hands on her hip.

"Gajeel Kun, just move her."

He frowned and gently moved Levy to the floor before standing.

"See? Now was that so difficult?"

"Can it, raindrop."

They gathered their packs and prepared to leave. Levy was still asleep, so Gajeel tossed her over his shoulder.

"KYYYYYYAAAAAAA! Gajeel?" She woke up as soon as she hit his shoulder.

"Quit yer screamin', shorty. Were leavin'."

"You can put me down now..." She whispered in embarrassment.

He set her down and let her climb down the ladder before following after her.

They walked without incident for a while.

After a few hours of walking, they reached the main road.

Gajeel jogged over to his truck and opened it up to make sure no looters trashed it.

Juvia followed closely behind and the others followed shortly after.

Gajeel threw Juvia's duffle at her.

"Go change. Yer indecent."

She frowned.

"Juvia is covered."

"Yer indecent. Go." He pointed to the woods behind them.

She sighed and rolled her eyes, but eventually did as she was asked.

Well... Told.

They all waited around the truck as Juvia changed.

"Ya know... Ya could have just got the gas from the station down the road..."

Gajeel smirked.

Gray looked at Natsu with an expression that read, ' _Are you fucking serious_?'

"I know. I figured we could hit up both so that we wont have to come out for gas too soon."

Gray and Gajeel looked at each other and nodded, silently agreeing that he probably just pulled that excuse out of his ass.

Juvia exited the woods with her bag, now wearing clean clothes.

She was wearing a pair of black denim shorts, thigh high brown combat boots, a green strapless top with dark blue trimming, and a dark blue jacket.

She was also once again donning a black beanie on her head.

"Much better." She sighed contentedly.

She tossed her bag back into the truck.

"So, what now?" She looked around the group and waited for a plan.

"We'll go get more gas from this station." Natsu pointed down the road.

Juvia shrugged and grabbed her bat that was leaning against the truck.

She swung it over her shoulder and began walking.

They all followed her to the gas station.

The place seemed just as abandoned as it had when she was there last.

The girls went inside for a potty break and to snag some snacks.

The guys remained outside and worked on getting some gas.

Gajeel found some empty Gas containers and handed them to Natsu, letting him do his thing.

Working on their third container, they heard voices approaching.

Natsu stopped what he was doing and capped the container.

"Get the girls. We gotta go."

Gajeel went inside to grab the girls.

Before they could leave, they were spotted.

"Gray?"

A familiar voice called to him.

"Lyon?"

He turned to face his brother. He hadn't seen him since before this all went down.

"Where have you been? You disappeared and I never saw you again. I thought you died."

Gray scratched his head.

"After we got separated, I looked for you for weeks, but never found you, so..."

Lyon nodded.

"I see. Sherry, Jura, this is my brother, Gray."

The two waved and smiled at him.

"Do you have somewhere to stay? You and your friends are more than Welcome to Join us. We are part of a guild called Lamia Scale. The more the merrier."

Jura offered.

"Nah, we're good. We belong to Fairy Tail. We were just out helping our newest recruit find her brother. Mission accomplished."

Natsu smiled and bumped Gray's shoulder.

Gajeel and the girls came out of the station and froze in place.

Gray waved them over.

"It's okay. They're friendly." Gray assured them.

They cautiously approached the new group.

Lyon's eyes wandered over to Juvia.

"I'm Lyon, Gray's brother. And you are?" He offered his hand to her.

She accepted it and shook.

"Juvia."

He smiled.

"What a beautiful name. Fitting for a stunning young woman such as yourself."

Juvia blushed and pulled her hand away.

Gray rolled his eyes.

"Geeze. You think you could turn down the sparkle a bit?"

Lyon frowned.

"Forgive me for trying to be polite."

Gajeel crossed his arms and growled, walking to stand in front of them.

"Yeah... Polite. I'm sure."

Gray smirked as Lyon shrank back.

"I'm sorry. I didn't realize she had been partnered."

Gajeel looked at Gray over his shoulder.

"I thought only yer stupid Fairy guild did that crap?"

Gray shook his head.

"Nope. It's a widely accepted guild system. It supposedly increases survival rates among missions."

Gajeel shook his head.

"If ya say so. And to be clear, she ain't my partner. She's my sister. If ya wanna talk about her partnership yer gonna have to take it up with yer brother."

Lyon looked at Gray and smiled.

"I see then. Never thought you to be the partner type, Gray."

He crossed his arms and looked off to the side.

"Yeah, well."

"But, she isn't your partner yet is she?" Lyon asked.

Gray wanted to say that she was his partner, but he would be lying.

He looked over at Juvia.

She looked irritated as Lyon was now beside her.

Gajeel chuckled to himself.

If that white haired smooth talker wasn't careful, he was gonna get a face full of iron nails.

Juvia tightened her grip on her bat.

"No thank you, Lyon Sama. Juvia may not be Gray Sama's partner, but that doesn't mean she wants to be your partner either."

Lyon stepped away, getting the message.

"As you wish, love."

Gray buried the urge to land a punch to his smug face.

He did just reunite with the guy after all.

"I'd love to catch up, but we gotta get back. Stop by sometime." Gray turned to leave and beckoned for the rest of the group to follow.

"Do you need assistance getting back to your base?" Lyon called to them.

"Nah! We've got a ride! Thanks anyway. See ya around, Lyon." Gray waved over his shoulder as he walked away.

As they walked back to the truck with the gas, Juvia nudged Gray.

"Lyon Sama is Gray's brother, right?"

He nodded.

"Yeah... Not, like, biologically. It's like you and Gajeel. My parents died when I was young, so did his. A woman took us in and raised us."

Juvia looked to the ground.

"Oh. Juvia's sorry."

He shook his head.

"Don't be. It was a long time ago."

"Alright ya lousy fairies. Pile in." Gajeel instructed as he began filling the tank.

Levy got up front and the rest climbed into the back.

Gajeel got behind the wheel and pulled the keys from under the seat.

"Where to, hot head?" Gajeel asked Natsu.

The boy narrowed his eyes at Gajeel but gave him the directions without a fight.

They drove along in silence for 13 minutes before arriving in front of the Fairy Base.

It was bigger than Gajeel expected.

There was a large fence built around it with barbed wire wound around the top.

there were a couple of towers placed out front for keeping watch and there appeared to be over 3 buildings within the fences' limits.

In the center was a bar with a large sign that read 'Fairy Tail'.

The building to the right looked to be an old bookstore.

The sign read, ' _Levy's Garden_.'

Gajeel looked over to his tiny partner as they drove in.

He didn't know she owned a book shop.

Well, he did just meet her.

On the left of the bar was another building.

It was a bakery.

The sign for it read, ' _Titania's Sweets_.'

"The hell kinda name is Titania?" Gajeel grumbled under his breath as he parked the truck behind the bar.

Natsu and Gray tensed.

"That's the name of the devil..." Natsu shuddered.

Gray nodded.

"She is scary."

Juvia leaned on her bat as she sat beside Gray in the back seat.

"Oh, she is, is she?"

Gray squared his shoulders and sat back.

"She may be scary, but I can hold my own."

Natsu, Lucy and Levy all broke out into laughter.

"Yeah. Okay. Keep telling yourself that." Lucy giggled.

Gray shot her a look that communicated, ' _Quit embarrassing me. I'm trying to act cool, dammit_.'

They all climbed out of the truck and entered the building.

The master was sitting atop the bar counter waiting for them.

"I see your mission was successful. Welcome to Fairy Tail."

Gajeel nodded to the tiny old man.

"I saw you have a vehicle? This is good. Do you have a partner, boy?"

Levy raised her hand and blushed.

Makarov smiled.

"Children grow up so fast. Alright then. You two are now officially our runners."

"Runners?" Gajeel asked.

"That's right. You two will be in charge of going on supply missions. That truck'll come in handy for that."

Gajeel crossed his arms.

"Fine by me. Shorty, show me that book shop. Ya didn't tell me ya ran yer own shop."

Makarov laughed.

"Run along now, you little brats."

Levy grabbed his hand and dragged him off.

Makarov looked to Juvia who was talking to Lucy a few feet away.

"Girl, come here."

Juvia nodded and approached. Lucy went down to the basement.

"You're Gray's girl, right?"

Juvia shifted awkwardly and shrugged.

"Juvia isn't sure yet..."

He smiled and nodded.

"I understand, child. Do you understand why the system is the way it is?"

She shook her head.

"Familial bonds are strong and work great in a group mission setting, but when on a paired mission with a partner..."

Juvia's face was reddening as Makarov explained.

"With a partner that you are romantically involved with, you are driven harder to protect them. It has greatly improved our survival rate, you know."

Juvia nodded.

"This makes sense."

He smiled and took a swig of beer.

"Don't feel that you have to partner with him because he brought you in. If you don't want him, you don't have to be with him."

She smiled and bowed out of respect.

"Thank you, master."

He waved her off, dismissing her to do as she pleased.

She sighed and went to the roof where He said he would be.

She promised and answer and now was as good a time as any.

When she emerged on the roof, she grabbed a gun that was waiting by the door and positioned herself beside him.

"Juvia. It's not your shift." He reminded her.

"Of course it is. If it's Gray Sama's shift, it's Juvia's shift, right?"

He pulled his vision from the scope of his rifle and turned to look at her.

She was smiling brightly at him.

"Uh... Right." A faint smile painted his lips before he turned back to the scope.

A few minutes into their patrol, Natsu and Lucy came barreling through the door to the roof.

"Erza's coming home!" Natsu shouted.

Lucy rolled her eyes.

"You guys are so pathetic."

Gray looked over his shoulder.

"You are scared of her too, don't deny it."

She nodded.

"Yeah, well, I don't do much to irritate her, unlike you two."

Juvia was ignoring their conversation and continuing her watch.

She saw movement in the foliage outside the gate.

Upon further inspection, she noted that it was a male and female.

the male had blond spiky hair and a scar over his left eye.

The female had dark hair pulled into twin buns on her head.

They were acting suspicious, so Juvia knew they more than likely weren't fairies.

"Gray Sama. We have intruders."

Gray snapped his attention back to the task at hand and looked through his scope.

He groaned.

"Saber Tooth..."

"Saber Tooth?" Juvia asked.

"Yeah. They go around destroying guilds, looting them and taking their recruits."

Juvia's eyes widened and she frowned.

"Why would they do that?"

He shrugged.

"They want to be the superior guild."

Gray looked down the scope again.

"Hey Natsu, remember Sting?"

Natsu rolled his eyes.

"Do I have to remember?"

Juvia raised an eyebrow and turned to Natsu.

"Natsu San doesn't like this Sting San?"

"He used to follow me everywhere when we were kids."

Juvia nodded.

"Oh."

Gray laughed.

"He still styles his hair like yours."

Natsu groaned.

"Of course he does."

Lucy shoved him playfully.

"Oh, come on. You know he looks up to you."

He sighed. "Yeah, yeah. I know."

Gray observed the snooping pair and felt an uneasiness about the woman with Sting.

"I have a bad feeling about this..."

Juvia looked up from her scope.

"Does Gray Sama think Fairy Tail will be attacked?"

He sighed and looked to the sky.

"Saber Tooth doesn't spy for no reason."

* * *

 ***AUTHOR'S NOTE*** Next chapter we meet Erza and get into the drama with Saber Tooth.


	5. Chapter 5

**Survival of the Fairies Ch. 5:**

 **Saber Tooth**

* * *

So, in the last chapter I don't think I portrayed the relationships as I thought I had.

I will try to fix that this chapter.

Yes, I have rushed the pairings, but I want you all to understand that just because I have paired them, it doesn't mean they are THERE yet.

Understand?

As far as the Nalu pairing is concerned, they met before hand and have had time to adjust.

With Gruvia, although Juvia has officially accepted Gray's partnership, she is supposed to still be uncomfortable with the other aspect of it.

I will make that clear this chapter.

And for Gajevy, they are meant to still be finding their footing and learning to deal with the situation they are in.

I will also try to make that clear this chapter.

The pairings are, indeed, rushed.

However, that does not mean that they are official in that way.

I just wanted to express that before continuing.

I didn't feel that I conveyed this properly through my writing at all, so I felt the need to say something.

Moving on.

I hope you all enjoy this chapter!

* * *

"Gramps, we got bad news."

Gray approached Makarov's desk with Juvia in tow.

"What is it, boy?"

Gray looked back to Juvia and frowned before turning to face the master again.

"It's Saber Tooth. They've sent spies."

The old man's face grew serious and his wrinkles deepened.

"I see. So this is how Jiemma wants to play it... Who were the spies?"

Gray rolled his eyes and crossed his arms.

"Sting and some chick with dark hair."

Makarov's eyes shot up to Gray's with intensity and he leaned across the desk.

"Describe this girl."

Gray looked as if he didn't know exactly how to do that, so Juvia stepped in.

"Master, the woman was a few inches shorter than Sting San and she had her hair half down with two buns on top."

Makarov grumbled.

"Continue, child."

She nodded.

"She looked like she had a lighter medium skin tone with green eyes. She had a blue tattoo that looked like a sabertooth on her lower left abdomen."

Makarov's eyes widened and he sat back.

"Minerva. Jiemma's daughter. If he sent out his own daughter, we are surely looking forward to an attack on Fairy Tail."

Juvia gasped.

She didn't realize that there were bigger threats than the biters.

Sure, she knew there would be violent people, but wars between guilds?

She didn't even expect guilds.

Gray sighed and took a seat.

"I'm not surprised. Us and Saber are the biggest guilds around Fiore. It was only a matter of time before they targeted us."

Juvia took a seat beside him and stared between the two.

"Hmmm... You are right..."

Juvia raised a hand timidly in the air.

"Is this going to be a serious fight? Like, lives lost?"

Makarov shut his eyes and nodded.

"I'm sorry child, but yes. It is possible that we could lose some people. Saber Tooth is a merciless guild. Their master, Jiemma sees to it."

Gray placed a hand on her shoulder and gave it a quick squeeze.

"Don't worry. We're Fairy Tail. There's a reason we are at the top."

Juvia hid her underlying worry with a smile.

She had just been dragged into this place and now she was facing a battle.

The world had turned into a nightmare.

* * *

"How'd ya end up with a book shop, shorty?"

Gajeel wandered around the small store, looking at the multitude of shelves in curiosity.

It wasn't something he advertised, but he did enjoy reading.

Levy laughed and began scanning the shelf in front of her.

"Well, I don't actually own it... Master Makarov, the little old man who owns the bar, he took me in when I was little. He owns this place."

Gajeel sat at a small table by the shelf and leaned back in the chair.

"Took you in?"

She nodded.

"Yes. I lost my family when I was younger... I had nowhere to go and he took me in. Raised me as his own."

"So... He's like yer dad?"

She smiled and shook her head.

"Not exactly. More like a grandpa. Haha. I'm not the only one though. He did the same for Natsu and Erza as well."

He smirked.

"He like a foster parent or somethin'?"

She sat in front of him and crossed her arms on the table.

"For us, yes... But not legally. It's a good thing the world went to hell in a hand basket, otherwise he could have been arrested for kidnapping."

His eyes got wide.

"Kidnapping? That a thing y'all do here?"

Levy laughed loudly and shook her head.

"No! Definitely not. When the master found us, we were wandering alone. He didn't want us going into the system, so he took us in himself."

Gajeel hummed and darted his red eyes to hers.

"Well, clearly that pretty boy learned some bad habits..."

Levy giggled and shrugged.

"Gray isn't usually the partner type... He likes to go solo. He probably had no idea how to get her to the guild."

Gajeel rolled her eyes.

"Please would have been a good start."

She laughed and noticed him eyeing the books on the shelf.

"Do you like to read?"

He pulled his eyes from the shelf and planted them on the table.

"It's not exactly somethin' I go around tellin' people... But, yeah. I like to read sometimes..."

She jumped from her seat and flew to the shelves.

"What kind of books do you prefer?"

He shrugged.

"I don't usually pick 'em."

She turned away from the shelf and crossed her arms.

"What do you mean?"

He sighed.

"Well, since ya told me a lil' about yerself it's only fair that I do the same, huh?"

She nodded and waited.

He leaned forward and put his elbows on the table.

"Juves and I were in the same foster home when we were in high school. That's how we met."

Levy went back to the table and slowly took a seat.

"When I first met her, I didn't care much fer anythin'. We fought a lot, but she refused to leave me alone."

He shifted his weight on the seat.

"She said that I was too much like her, said she couldn't just let me suffer... stupid woman..."

A small smile formed on her lips and tears pricked at her eyes.

"Anyway... She got me to come around. Witch craft er somethin'... She used to bring home books from the library every weekend..."

A tear rolled down Levy's cheek.

He was a lot sweeter than she thought.

Sweeter than even his own sister made him out to be.

Juvia had given the impression that Gajeel was a beast of a man, someone to be feared.

But he wasn't that at all.

Well, at least not as far as Levy could see.

"She would climb into bed with me and ask me to read to her. Those moments spent with her are the best memories I got."

Levy's lip trembled and tears flowed from her eyes.

Can't hide it now.

"Oi, why ya cryin', shrimp?!"

She shook her head and wiped her eyes.

"Your relationship with your sister is just so beautiful!"

He groaned and threw his head back.

"Stop yer cryin', Shorty."

She nodded and wiped at her face.

The doors to the book store swung open and a pair walked in.

"We got trouble."

Gray and Juvia approached the table.

Juvia eyed the red nosed, teary eyed Levy with concern and turned her gaze to Gajeel.

He shook his head and sat back.

"What's going on?"

Levy rubbed her face one last time and turned to face them.

Gray noticed that she looked to have been crying, but chose to keep his nose out of it.

"We think Saber Tooth is planning to attack. Jiemma sent out his daughter to spy, so Gramps thinks it's gonna be big."

Levy stood from her chair and straightened herself out.

"When?"

"Master said he isn't sure, but that we should keep an eye out..."

Juvia glanced over to Gajeel sitting at the table.

His arms were crossed and his face was like stone.

Juvia winced.

"Only been here a couple hours and already plannin' a war..."

Gray smirked and shoved his hands into his pockets.

"Welcome to the Apocalypse."

* * *

The two pairs moved from the book store back to the bar.

Levy and Gray introduced them properly to the barmaid, Mira and her mission partner, Laxus.

"Even the barmaid goes on missions?" Gajeel asked.

Mira laughed.

Laxus glared at the new guy with a burning hatred.

"I'm not just the barmaid. I'm actually one of the guild's top two female fighters."

Gajeel looked surprised.

"And I am one of the guild's top male fighters."

Laxus' threatening gaze burned holes into the side of Gajeel's head as he ignored the pumped up Fairy.

"Who is the other top woman?"

Gray cringed.

"Erza..."

Natsu and Lucy approached from behind.

"Are you ready to see your sleeping quarters?"

Lucy smiled brightly at the newcomers.

Natsu patted Gray on the shoulder and winked.

He pushed the pink haired pyro's hand off of his shoulder and scowled.

Gajeel shrugged and Juvia nodded.

Lucy grabbed Juvia's hand and began dragging her to the basement door.

"The basement?"

Lucy nodded.

"Mhm. After all hell broke loose we all worked really hard to create multiple underground levels. It's kinda like a giant hotel or dorm!"

Gajeel grumbled behind them.

"How'd ya manage that?"

Natsu smirked and crossed his arms.

"We raided all of the home improvement stores and construction sites. We figured if supplies were free, why not expand?"

The first level they walked through was familiar to Juvia.

It was the original basement with the prison cell she had awoke in that day that Gray had brought her to Fairy Tail.

She saw a staircase leading down in the corner of the room.

Lucy was dragging her to it.

"I promise, the rooms are so much better than that cell!"

Levy nodded excitedly.

"You'll love it here!"

Juvia nodded and clutched a closed fist to her chest.

"Juvia hopes so..."

When the stairs ended, she saw a well constructed hall with rather nice doors all the way down the long hall.

The hall was well lit by wall sconces holding candles.

Juvia smiled, pleasantly surprised at how nicely they had managed to construct the new additions.

They went down another flight of stairs.

Lucy played with a strand of her long blonde hair and giggled nervously.

"There is something you two should know..."

Gajeel growled.

Juvia patted his arm and smiled.

"What is it?"

Levy blushed and played with her fingers.

"Well... Partners share rooms."

Gajeel's face turned beet red.

Juvia stopped in place and shook her head.

"No. Juvia is not comfortable. No."

Gray realized what she must be thinking and waved his hands in front of him wildly.

"No! No! You get your own bed! Guys, did you have to make it sound like that?!"

Gajeel's face returned to it's normal lightly tanned shade.

He looked down to the tiny blunette prancing beside him.

"There ain't gonna be a bunch a stuffies is there?"

Juvia giggled.

"Stuffies?"

Levy covered her mouth to stifle a laugh.

"Dammit, Juves."

She threw her hands up and shook her head.

"Why's it her fault?" Gray asked.

Gajeel smirked and crossed his arms as he leaned into the dark haired boy.

"Juves makes dolls of people she likes. She had over a hundred of me.

It's only a matter of time 'fore she fills yer room with hundreds of dolls of ya. But, ya like her, so it's fine... Right?"

Gray shot an alarmed look at Juvia.

Her cheeks reddened and she threw her fist back, knocking Gajeel in the chest.

"Gajeel Kun!"

He laughed and shook his head.

"You chose her, pretty boy."

Gray frowned and buried his hands in his pockets.

"No dolls."

Juvia rolled her eyes.

"Juvia will do as she pleases."

He shot her a hard side glare.

"No. Dolls."

She puffed out her cheeks and crossed her arms.

"Like Juvia would want a doll of Gray Sama."

He didn't expect to be hurt by that comment, but he was.

' _Get it together. It's a fucking doll._ '

4 flights of stairs later, they reached Gray's floor.

"Gray, I'm sure you can take it from here?"

Lucy reached for Levy's hand.

"Uh, yeah. Thanks..."

Natsu waved and winked as he turned to follow after Lucy, Levy and Gajeel.

They walk down the hall a ways before coming to a dark gray door.

He pulled a key from his pocket and began to unlock the door.

When he was finished, he placed the key back into his pocket and opened it.

He entered the dark room and grabbed a candle from beside the door.

He picked up a lighter that was beside it and lit the candle.

He stepped farther into the room, coming to a stop at a shelf.

He sat the candle on the shelf and reached into a small blue box with white snowflake designs.

Out of it he pulled a key.

He turned around and held it out to her.

"Here. You'll need this."

She slowly took the key and played with it in her hands as she glanced around the dimly lit room.

It was pretty empty.

There was a single cot in the corner and a little wooden chair beside it.

The room was well built, but Gray's decorating skills were in question at the moment.

She couldn't blame him though.

It was the end of the world.

Some things tend to take the back seat in times like these.

He saw her looking at the single cot.

"Don't worry. I'll have another cot in here by the time night comes around."

She nodded.

"Thank you."

Gray went to the cot and sat down.

Juvia followed and sat on the chair.

"Look... Juvia is fine with being Gray Sama's mission partner, but she isn't comfortable... with _that_ yet."

He blushed, but just barely.

"Oh, uh... I didn't expect you to be. We just met."

She smiled.

"Thank you for understanding."

He sat back and pulled his knees to his chest.

"Yeah... To be honest, I'm not comfortable either. I chose you because I can depend on you..."

She looked down at her lap and gave a sharp nod.

"So Juvia has heard..."

Feeling a bit awkward about her response, he began to word vomit.

"I mean, I think you are pretty, too and you have a cute personality... I like you, but it was mostly because you had my back..."

She laughed and nodded.

"Juvia understands, Gray Sama."

He mentally kicked himself for losing his cool like that.

"Good. So, why don't we start as friends and go from there?"

She smiled and nodded happily.

"Juvia would like that very much, Gray Sama."

* * *

2 more flights of stairs and they arrived on the final floor.

Not only was it the final floor, it was Levy's floor.

Lucy waved to the pair and dragged Natsu back up to the previous floor where their room was located.

Levy pulled a key from her satchel and unlocked the door.

She took a flashlight from the satchel after she returned the key and stepped inside.

Once inside, she glided over to a dresser and lit a candle that was stationed in the center.

She clicked the flashlight off, shoved it back into her satchel and set the satchel on the edge of the dresser.

Gajeel allowed his eyes to wander freely around the room.

It was small, and nearly every wall was covered in books.

The walls were literally bookshelves.

On one side of the room, there was a cot with pillows and blankets strewn across it with a single book right in the middle.

On the opposite side of the room, there was an empty cot with a folded blanket and single pillow stacked neatly atop it.

"Oi, all rooms come ready like that?"

Levy quit looking through her books and looked to the ground and she twisted in place.

"Well... No. I made sure to have an extra cot ready... Just in case..."

He decided to drop it.

He could tell she was pretty embarrassed about it.

"I bet ya never expected someone like me to be yer partner, did ya?"

She smiled and took a seat on her bed.

"Silly, Gajeel. I may not have pictured you, but you're not so bad."

He went to the cot that was meant to be his and began unfolding the blanket.

"Yeah... ya ain't so bad either."

* * *

Once they had settled in, they all met back up at the bar.

Cana, the guild drunk, was sitting by the window and began to laugh.

She took a large swig from her barrel and proceeded her laughter.

"Hide yer sin! Titania's coming!"

The guild erupted in shouts of terror and members began scrambling around, many rushing to the basement.

"Is she really so scary?"

Juvia hid behind Gray.

Natsu nodded and smirked.

"She sure is."

Lucy shrugged.

"Just stay on her good side. You'll be fine."

Levy nodded.

Gray rolled his eyes.

"Easy for you to say. She likes you guys."

Lucy laughed.

"She likes you guys too. You two are just idiots who don't know how to behave."

Levy gave Lucy a low key fist bump behind her back.

The doors were kicked open and a tall woman with scarlet hair walked confidently inside.

"Erza, welcome home."

She smiled and nodded to the Master who was sitting atop the bar with a mug of beer.

"However... What have you been told about solo missions!? What if you were killed?! Who would know?! You brats are going to send me to an early grave!"

The woman smiled and approached the old man.

She pulled the large satchel off of her back and placed it on a table in front of her.

She detached the two holstered katanas that were strapped to either hip and set them beside her bag.

When she opened the bag, it revealed an arsenal of weapons.

The master's eyes bugged from his head and beer spewed from his lips and nose.

"Child. Where did you manage to get your hands on those?!"

As far as he knew, you could only get a haul like that from raiding other guilds and Fairy Tail had a strict policy against that.

She took a seat and rested her head on her hands.

"I raided the police stations and weapon stores from 3 different towns including Magnolia."

The master slammed his beer to the counter.

"By yourself?!"

She grinned proudly and nodded.

"Of course."

Of course.

Like it was the most natural thing in the world.

"How did she manage that?" Juvia whispered from behind Gray.

"Because she's Erza!"

Natsu grinned wide and lunged at Erza with a fist in the air ready to strike.

Gray shook his head.

"Gonna get your ass kicked..."

In a single motion, she had him on the ground.

"Told you."

Juvia tugged at Gray's shirt.

"I thought solo missions were against the rules... Why have you and Erza San not been punished?"

He shrugged.

"I have no idea why I wasn't punished, but Erza... Gramps knows she can handle her own."

Juvia frowned.

"How are you supposed to meet partners if you can't do solo missions?"

He looked over his shoulder at her and pointed a thumb back and Levy and Gajeel.

"That is what the group missions are for."

She nodded.

"Oh... Juvia sees."

Levy bumped Juvia's side with her shoulder.

"She owns the bakery next door."

Juvia gawked at the blood soaked, scarlet haired warrior before her and shook her head.

"She bakes, too?"

Levy laughed.

"Yes! And she does it very well."

Juvia couldn't bake and although she could certainly fight, she doubted she was anywhere near this Erza's level.

"She is so cool."

Juvia watched the war goddess handle the weapons with care as she displayed them for the master.

Gray shook his head.

"While I wouldn't mind you picking up her fighting skill, please for the love of all that is sacred, do not become a mini Erza... Please?"

Levy and Lucy laughed.

Erza had heard his comment and was in his face in a hot second.

"What was that?" She challenged.

He shook his head.

"I mean, because there is only enough room for one Erza in the world because you are so special and kind! Really, _really_ kind! Right, Natsu!?"

Natsu was passed out on the ground, unable to aid his frenemy at the moment.

"Who is this?"

Her harsh demeanor softened and a pleasant smile settled on her face.

"Juvia! Nice to meet you, Erza San."

Juvia offered her hand to the woman.

Erza accepted it and shook.

"New recruit? Good. We could use more numbers."

Gray furrowed his brows.

"More numbers?"

Erza leaned against the bar and sighed.

"I was doing my basic mission rounds when I came across a guild camping nearby."

Gray felt like he knew where this was going.

"They are plotting an attack on us. That is why I gathered so many weapons. I know we will need them."

Gray ran a hand through his hair and tossed his head back.

"Saber Tooth."

She nodded.

"You knew?"

"Master Jiemma sent his daughter and her partner to spy. This is gonna be big..."

Erza frowned and pulled her hair from the ponytail it was held in.

"Well, if it's a war they want, it's a war they'll get."

Gray nodded.

"Gray, you and Juvia, you are partners, yes?"

They nodded.

She smiled.

"I'm proud of you, Gray. You've grown into a man."

She patted his head.

He balled his fists and growled lowly in his throat.

"Knock it off, would ya?"

She shook her head and put her hands up.

"Fine, fine. You two are on first shift sniper watch."

He nodded and tugged Juvia behind him to the door that lead to the roof.

"Lucy, you and Natsu will be on second shift."

She smiled and gave a sharp nod before wandering over to Natsu's unconscious form lying on the ground, giving him a nudge with her foot.

Erza turned to Levy and eyed the large man beside her.

"Levy... Who is this? Did you find him?"

She nodded.

"This is Juvia's brother, Gajeel. She had gotten separated from him, so the group brought me along to look for him."

Erza stared wide eyed at the guy.

"Ah. I see... Since you two are partners... You two will do foot patrols with me. Let's go."

She spun on her heels and pulled her katanas from the table, reattaching them to her hips.

"Grab a weapon." She called behind her.

Levy grabbed an axe from the table.

Why Erza had brought an axe you may ask?

No idea, but Levy wants it.

"Oi, shrimp. That's a lil' personal, don't ya think?"

She looked up and tilted her head.

"What's wrong with getting personal?"

He stared at her and shook his head as he absently reached for an assault rifle.

"Nothin', if that's yer thing..."

She smiled and began walking to the bar exit.

He stared after her and blinked.

"Shorty's got some fire in 'er. I like it."

* * *

"Looks like we've been caught..."

Minerva peeked through the bushes, watching the three foot soldiers on patrol.

"What makes you think that?"

She narrowed her eyes and pointed at the fenced lot.

"Sting, pay attention."

He sighed and crouched down next to her.

"They upped their security. Not by much though... What do you want to do about it, my lady?"

She took a deep breath and frowned.

"We have to tell the master..."

Sting cringes.

Nobody liked her father.

The man is a wicked tyrant who mistreats everyone, even his own daughter.

Sting was counting the days until the old man kicks the bucket.

He was pretty sure everyone was, even the young missus of Saber Tooth.

He hoped that whenever Jiemma finally did pass, that Minerva would take her rightful spot as the new master.

He knew that she would be a better master than her father.

Anyone would.

Minerva had a tendency to be a little wicked herself, but as her partner, Sting was able to witness sides of her that no one else had.

He knew that she just needed help in the right direction.

Unfortunately, her father was in the way.

"Are we still going to attack?"

She smirked and continued watching the foot soldiers like prey.

"All in good time, Sting. All in good time."

* * *

 ***AUTHOR'S NOTE*** I hope that this chapter cleared some things up for everyone! I will begin work on the illustrations for chapter two next week!


	6. Chapter 6

**What is it Good For?**

Yeah...

Fuck the illustrations.

Anyways...

I know it has been a bit since I have updated and I keep putting out new stories.

I won't forget these stories, I promise.

I will continue updating as often as I can.

No worries!

Also, I noticed that I contradicted myself in this story.

In the beginning when I said solo missions were okay, forget it ever happened.

Solo missions are a big negatory, Captain America.

Ignore my lapse of judgement, if you please.

Now... ON WITH THE STORY.

* * *

The moon illuminates the gravel below their feet, casting long, dark shadows from their stealthy forms. Gray and Juvia are on night watch with Elfman and Evergreen tonight.

With the threat of Saber Tooth's impending attack looming overhead, Fairy Tail was on high alert. Elfman and Evergreen took the back while Gray and Juvia took the front.

Their soft steps crunching the gravel below were the only sounds to be heard, creating a repetitive soundtrack for their night. Juvia wasn't too fond of the quiet.

She knew they had to remain hushed and attentive, but she had to say something before she lost her mind.

She timidly glanced to her right to see if Gray looked as antsy as she felt. He appeared calm, steady and focused.

The way the moonlight highlighted his face and hair really flattered his features. She blinked quickly to regain her thoughts. Her mind raced, trying to find something to say.

A few questions came to mind and she decided that important information was better than mindless chatter and would be excusable for the situation at hand.

"Gray Sama... Juvia has a question..." She whispered to him.

He offered a small smirk and nodded as he whispered, "Shoot."

Glad that he wasn't angry with her for disrupting the silence, she chose her first question.

"Why do the guilds exist? How were they formed?" This was something she had wondered since finding out about there being more than just Fairy Tail out here.

He scratched his head and stopped walking.

"Well, when everything went to hell in a hand basket, survivors needed stability and safety."

She nodded as he rolled his shoulders to stretch.

"Our ol' man was a part of this big poker night between business owners when all of this went down. They all came up with the idea to use their businesses as safe houses."

Her brows knit together in confusion. He noticed this and smiled.

"What started as safe houses, ended up guilds. Life out here is tough and people can be pretty fucked up. Those slimy fuckers aren't the only threat."

Juvia was beginning to understand, but was still at a loss for why the guilds were fighting each other.

"Juvia doesn't understand then... Why do the guilds fight each other?"

He shook his head and held up his hand.

"Nah. The guilds usually don't. That's just Saber Tooth. Their master, Jiemma, is a real piece of work. He was a sick fuck before the damn apocalypse."

She made an oh shape with her mouth and nodded slowly.

"So... This Jiemma... He does this for no reason, then?"

He laughed quietly to himself.

"The bastard has it in his head that he is some sort of big bad. He thinks that his guild has to be the best. So fucking stupid. It's not about being the best."

She looked to the fence, checking for movement before turning her eyes back to him.

"What is it about?"

He walked in front of her and gripped her shoulder with his free hand, his eyes staring heavily into hers, shaded by the dark of night.

"It's about living to see tomorrow."

They stood like that in silence for what felt like an eternity. Juvia swallowed hard and nodded sharply.

He smiled and patted her shoulder, turned and continued walking away from her. quickly, she scurried after him.

"Juvia has another question..." She informed him quietly.

"Go on..." He glanced at her over his shoulder briefly.

"Those tattoos... Juvia noticed everyone has the same symbol on their bodies... Why?"

He lifted up his navy tee to expose the mark on his right pectoral.

"This?" He asked with a wry smile.

She rolled her eyes and waved her hand in a ' _put it down_ ' motion.

He let go of the shirt and let it fall back into place.

"Alright, alright. These marks are what identify us as members of the guild... In case we... Y'know..." His face twisted and his voice trailed off.

Juvia gasped audibly and her eyes widened.

"OH. That's... Will Juvia and Gajeel Kun have to get one?"

He shrugged. "It's recommended, but not mandatory. Gramps would feel better if you did, though. I would, too."

She hummed to herself and looked to the ground.

"Juvia supposes it couldn't hurt. Who...?"

Gray smirked and pulled his pants up a bit.

"Laxus is pretty handy with tattoos. That's what he did before."

She nodded, impressed. She wondered what kind of work a guy like him would be into. Now she knew.

"Hey, you two lovebirds done chatting it up? We have a base to protect, you know."

A woman of average height with dangerous curves, long, chestnut hair and flattering glasses that served as a barrier between her emerald eyes and the rest of the world

approached the pair followed by a large man with short, disheveled white hair who could double as the Hulk if he were green.

The woman, Evergreen, toted her machine gun over her left shoulder. She was wearing dark wash skinnies with a midriff bearing halter that matched her eyes.

The man, Elfman, seemed to be carrying a decent sized sword. He was wearing relaxed fit medium denim jeans paired with a red tee.

"Ever." Gray greeted her bitterly. He didn't hate her, not at all. She just got on his nerves a little.

"It's Evergreen."

He rolled his eyes.

"Whatever. I see you still give no fucks about the sound rule..." He nodded to her machine gun.

Her hip cocked to the side and she sighed.

"I've said it once and I will say it again. Mama is going nowhere without her Fairy Machine Gun, got it?"

He shook his head and shot Elfman a sympathetic glance.

"Loud and clear, commander." He mocked her with a sarcastic salute. Juvia giggled behind her hand when Elfman dropped his sword to contain his angry partner.

"Dammit, Elfman. Put me down. NOW." She whisper yelled at her concerned and struggling partner.

She brushed herself off as she glared daggers at the raven haired boy in front of her.

"I wasn't going to shoot him..."

Elfman didn't seem convinced. Gray crossed his arms and tilted his head to the left.

"Ya done with your patrol?"

Elfman nodded.

"Not a man in sight."

Evergreen scowled.

"Or woman. Living or dead."

Gray nodded and waved.

"Go get some rest. We'll see ya later."

They both nodded and turned away, quickly walking to the entrance of the guild. The pair watched them go until they disappeared inside.

Juvia went to make a comment about Evergreen's strange attachment to her machine gun when they heard a noise from the fence.

Both spun around to face the fence at max speed. Any exhaustion previously felt completely disappeared, replaced by adrenaline in an instant.

Juvia immediately springs into action, creeping over to the fence to observe the movement in the shrubbery.

Gray whispers loudly after her to come back, but she ignores him.

"Show yourself!" She commanded in a hushed tone.

A flash of white glimmered in the moonlight as a feminine form emerged from the bushes.

"Lisanna?" Gray asked curiously, wondering why Lisanna would hide from the guild.

A soft voice came from the girl before them.

"I'm sorry, but I'm not her. My name's Yukino. Please... I need your help."

Juvia looked to Gray for permission. She wanted to help the girl, but she was new to the ways of the world here. She needed his guidance in this situation.

He furrowed his brows and hummed to himself, seemingly deep in thought for a moment. He nodded once to Juvia, giving her the signal to open the gate.

Juvia unlocked the gate and rushed the shaking girl in. She was wearing scraps tied around her, just enough to cover the important bits.

"What happened to you?" Juvia stroked the girls back softly while Gray locked up the gate once more.

Her tears flowed freely as she clung to the blunette needily.

"It was awful... They humiliated me... And then..."

She sobbed harder as she pulled away from the woman, reaching her shaky hands to a spot on her left side beside her belly button.

There, framed by her unsteady hands, was a disfigured tattoo. It was burned and appeared to be cut as well.

Her abdomen was covered in blood smears where she undoubtedly had been rubbing at it.

"Gray Sama... Her stomach..." Juvia's eyes were filled with horror as she covered her mouth with her hands.

"You guild did this to you?!" He asked the timid girl angrily.

She shrunk back, but nodded. Gray growled low in his throat. He knew exactly what guild would do that to one of their own.

"Saber Tooth." He hissed.

Juvia gasped and stared at the girl in confusion.

She nodded.

"Why would they..." Juvia was appalled.

"Let's get you inside. You can tell us all about it once we get you cleaned up, alright?" Gray and Juvia wrapped their arms around her and led her into the guild.

It seemed that all had gone to their sleeping quarters for the night, so Gray asked Juvia to bring Yukino a change of clothing while he got her some water.

Juvia returned with a pair of gray sweat pants and a black sports bra along with her backpack which was full of medical supplies from the gas station.

She handed Yukino the clothes and sat at the pub table as she waited for her to return from the bathroom so she could dress the girl's wound.

Gray sat down across from Juvia with the water for Yukino. He sat back and sighed.

"What is it, Gray Sama?"

He puffed out his cheeks and shook his head.

"Nothing. Just fucking Jiemma. Bastard."

Clearly this Jiemma was not somebody Juvia ever wanted to have the displeasure of meeting.

Yukino emerged from the bathroom wiping her eyes, fitting Juvia's clothing perfectly.

"Thank you so much." She bowed lightly and winced.

"Please, come sit. Let Juvia take care of this for you."

She sat in Juvia's seat while the blunette dug through her pack and began laying out the rubbing alcohol, cotton balls, neosporin, gauze and ace bandage.

While Juvia was tending to the girl's wound, Gray was itching to know what went down.

"You wanna tell us what happened?"

She nodded and took a sip of the water that Gray pushed towards her.

"They were planning an attack against you, but I told them I couldn't fight another guild..."

Gray raised an inquisitive brow.

"But, you are a member of Saber Tooth... They attack and loot guilds all the time."

She closed her eyes and sighed solemnly.

"Yes, this is true, but I never participated. I am always punished for this, but I suppose this was the last straw for the master..."

Juvia soaked a cotton ball in rubbing alcohol and tapped her arm.

"This is going to sting a little." She warned.

Yukino nodded and lifted her arm to give Juvia better access.

Gray chuckled.

"Understatement of the year. Shit is gonna burn like a mother fucker."

Juvia kicked her leg back and nailed him in the shin.

"If Gray Sama doesn't watch it, something else will burn like a mother fucker later."

He stared at her as she bent over to care for the girl's injury. She was getting bolder with him. He was torn between feeling terrified and delighted.

Terrified because she now felt comfortable enough to reprimand him like Lucy and Erza, but delighted because this meant that she was warming up to him.

"Ssssssskkkkaaaaaahhhhh." She hissed as the alcohol assaulted her open wound.

"Sorry." Juvia mumbled as she gently dabbed the area of concern.

She shook her head.

"Not your fault."

Gray crossed his arms and sat back in his chair.

"So, why come to us?"

Yukino bit her lip and held back tears as Juvia continued to clean the injury.

"Saber Tooth is coming for you. I love my guild. They are cruel and harsh, yes, but they are my family. I can't.. sssahhhh."

"Sorry." Juvia quit dabbing and began to apply the neosporin.

"I can't watch them continue this way. This is no way for a family to be. I need your help. The master... Please take him out!"

Gray and Juvia blinked at the girl. Did she just put a hit out on her guild master? Well, she was shunned from the guild, so he wasn't her master any longer, but still.

However, even as shocking as her request was... Gray wasn't above it.

"Alright."

Juvia snapped her head around so fast she thought her neck may break.

"Gray Sama!"

He shrugged.

"What? If you knew the man you'd say alright, too."

Yukino looked down at the table while Juvia bandaged her up.

"It's not that I want him dead... We need a better leader..."

Gray smirked.

"You want him dead a little, don't you?"

She shook her head.

"No. I don't. He humiliated me, disfigured me and separated me from my partner, but I don't want him dead. I just don't think there is any other way."

Juvia finished wrapping her up and began cleaning up her mess.

"You have a partner?"

She nodded.

"Rogue..."

Gray slammed his fist on the table.

"He did nothing to help you?!"

Tears welled in her eyes and she shook her head.

Juvia glared at him threateningly as she rubbed the girl's shoulders.

"He couldn't!"

Gray stood from the table and slammed his chair back in place.

"Bullshit. He could be here with you right now. I would never let anything separate me from Juvia!" His face immediately reddened once the words left his lips.

In his anger, he had said more than he should have. Juvia was blushing as she told Yukino to ignore his outburst.

"I am sure that Rogue wanted to help you. Don't listen to him."

Gray ran his hands through his hair nervously.

' _Great. Now I'm the bad guy.._.'

"I... I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said that. I'm sure he is really worried..." Gray couldn't erase the words he let fly, but he could at least apologize.

She wiped her face and waved him off.

"It's fine... You should know... They are coming soon. Within the week."

Gray nodded.

"We'll be ready for them. Juvia, will you take her to Erza's room. She should have a spare cot for her there."

Juvia lifted Yukino from her chair and led her to the basement. Before she closed the door behind her, she stole a glance at Gray.

He was facing away from her, running his hands through his hair. She frowned and turned back to Yukino who was waiting for her at the bottom of the steps.

"Is something wrong?" The girl asked with genuine concern.

Juvia shook her head and smiled, shutting the door as she did.

"No. I was just thinking. Let's get you to bed."

As Juvia escorted the girl to Erza's quarters, she though about what he had said. ' _I would never let anything separate me from Juvia_.'

He had told her he wasn't there yet either, so why would he say that? She thought about it until her mind went numb.

She finally came to the conclusion that perhaps in a world like this, having people to be close to is important. She understood how he wouldn't want to let that go.

"Who's this?" Erza asked with a yawn as she squinted to examine the new girl being presented to her.

"Erza San, this is Yukino. Saber Tooth shunned her because she refused to go to war with us. Would you mind taking her in for a while?"

"Saber Tooth?! She could be a spy!" Erza scolded.

Juvia shook her head and pointed to Yukino's bandages.

"They did horrible things to her tattoo!" She defended.

Yukino shifted awkwardly, wishing she were invisible.

Erza sighed and gave the girl a slow, agonizing once over.

"Fine. She can stay with me. Come on." She grabbed the girl by the hand and pulled her into the room.

The door slammed shut and Juvia was alone. She pulled her key from her shorts pocket and began walking towards the stairs to reach her and Gray's floor level.

When she reached their door, she went to unlock it, but Gray pulled it open from the other side before she could get the key in the lock.

"Oh, Juvia. I was just coming to look for you." He stepped aside and let her in.

"Why would you come looking for Juvia?" She went to her cot and sat down.

"I wanted to explain... About earlier... I-" She put her hand up.

"Juvia understands. Having people to depend on and be there for you is important more so now than ever. It's fine, Gray Sama."

He let out a long sigh of relief.

"You understood."

She nodded and pulled her blanket over her as she lay down.

"Of course. Not at first, but Juvia thought about it."

He lay on his own cot and stared at the ceiling.

"I'm sorry, anyway."

She smiled and blew out the candle on the chair by her cot.

"Juvia said it's fine. Goodnight, Gray Sama."

He continued to stare up into the dark nothingness as he searched for sleep.

"Goodnight, Juvia."

* * *

Not too far from Fairy Tail in a guarded apartment building, two young men sat alone in a room together.

The pair sat on an old couch with their cats resting peacefully beside them.

"What Jiemma did was unforgivable... Yukino has never taken part in his useless blood shed. Why now?"

Rogue was distraught. He was worried for Yukino out there on her own. It's never safe to venture outside alone, especially at night.

"There was nothing we could do. You know that." Sting didn't like what had happened either, but nobody could face up to Jiemma.

"I should have fought for her. WE should have fought for her, Sting."

He nodded.

"Yeah... But we can't change it now."

Rogue crossed his arms and a stray tear fell from his eye without his consent.

"Jiemma must die. It's the only way." He seethed.

"Yes, I suppose it is, isn't it?" Minerva spoke from behind the two.

They both jumped out of their skin.

"Minerva! My Lady!" They shouted in unison.

She scrunched her face in disgust.

"Ugh. Don't harmonize. Disgusting."

"We didn't realize you were here..." Sting stammered.

She rounded the couch to stand before them.

"Yes, well... I noticed that someone wasn't in bed where I left them."

She gave Sting a pointed look.

"My apologies, my Lady."

She smiled and took a seat on the coffee table in front of the two.

"Don't fret, my love. I understand. Rogue just lost his partner. I would expect no less from you had it been me."

Her words were kind, but her face was stone. She was good at that, mind tricks. You never truly knew what she was feeling unless she allowed you to see it.

"Of course..." Sting watched her face closely, trying his best to pick up something, anything from her, but received nothing.

"Rogue, did you think of where Yukino might go?" Minerva's stone face cracked into a wicked smirk.

His eyes shifted from the floor to her face. He sat forward so that their faces were inches apart. Sting was shocked that Rogue would challenge the missus this way.

"Of course I did. But, it's dark and those damned corpses!" He shouted.

She didn't even blink. Her smile never left her face as she leaned back and released a hearty laugh.

"I know exactly where she went."

Both Sting and Rogues eyes nearly pop out of their skull.

"WHERE?!" Rogue shouted, grabbing at the collar of her shirt.

Sting grabbed him by his long, black ponytail and yanked him back.

Minerva stood to her feet and walked to the kitchen, pulling out a cantine of water and taking a sip.

"Isn't it obvious? Your little angel went to the fairies."

Sting stood and turned to face her.

"How do you know this?"

She placed the cantine on the counter and smiled.

"How do you think? Because I told her to."

"You told her to go to Fairy Tail?" Rogue asked in disbelief.

She sauntered over to the back of the couch and leaned over it so that she was between the two as soon as Sting had once again sat down.

"Indeed, I did." She smirked.

"What are you planning, Minerva?" he asked.

She ruffled both of their hair and laughed.

"The king shall live no more."

They both looked to her, speechless.

"Don't worry, boys. This battle is exactly what we need. Times up, father."

* * *

The next morning after the master is notified of Yukino, Makarov sends his runners out to Mavis Memorial Hospital for Medical supplies. In a battle this big...

They need all they can get. Surgical equipment was at the top of the list.

Understanding their task, Gajeel and Levy loaded into Metallicana with empty duffle bags and set off for their target.

Having a truck was handy for runs, but also came with a big negative. Metallicana was very loud and attracted the dead like 13 year old fan girls to Taylor Lautner.

Fortunately, the dead were slow. As they pulled into the hospital parking lot, dead began shuffling from all over the place.

Gajeel parked Metallicana as close to the hospital wall as he could and pointed to his sun roof.

"Alright, shrimp. Here's the plan. We're gonna climb onto the roof through here and I will bust out that window, there. See?"

He pointed to the hospital window directly above them. It was low enough for Gajeel to stand on the truck and pull himself into and lean back out to pull up Levy.

She nodded and bit her lip nervously. She was absolutely terrified. They were surrounded by man eating corpses. THEY COULD DIE.

Never the less, she sucked it up and trusted her partner to have her back like he promised he would.

He opened the sun roof and managed to squeeze through it, although it wasn't easy.

He bent over and reached a hand down, helping Levy onto the roof of his beloved truck whom he was internally crying for at the moment.

He pulled a rock from his pocket and threw it at the window with all his might. As he had hoped, the window busted.

He jumped up and grabbed the ledge, ignoring the new cuts on his hands. blood trickled down the building from the window sill as he pulled himself up and into the building.

Levy watched for him, full of worry. When he reemerged from the window she sighed and reached her arms up for him.

He grabbed onto her arms above her elbows and tugged her up. When she was safely inside she gasped.

"Gajeel... You're all bloody..."

He smirked and shrugged.

"This ain't shit, short cake. Come on. Let's get what we came here for."

She nodded slowly and followed after him as he lead the way through the abandoned hospital.

They searched every storage closet and supply room they came across, loading their duffle bags as much as they could. They came across no dead inside, which surprised them.

They had only been through maybe two wings of the hospital, but their bags were full. Since they had no more room, they headed back to the window.

Gajeel was about to toss the bags down into the bed of the truck when he saw 3 eaters on top of his truck. He was LIVID.

"HOW THE FUCK DID THEY GET UP THERE?!" He roared angrily. Having no choice, he pulled the pistol from the holster on his hip that Erza had so graciously provided him.

One after the other, they all fell to his impeccable aim.

"That'll teach ya, ya nasty fuckers. DON'T EVER FUCK WITH MY TRUCK." Levy watched him, trying to decide whether she wanted to laugh or be afraid.

Both is good she decided, releasing a nervous chuckle. He tossed the bags down into the bed of the truck and climbed out of the window, resting his feet on Metallicana's roof.

He reached up to catch her when she jumped down, only she wasn't in the window.

"Oy! Shrimp!" She didn't respond, but he heard a struggle. Quickly, he jumped up and pulled himself up to the window sill.

When he looked inside, he saw Levy sitting on the back of a corpse smashing it's head into the tile angrily. She looked up and smirked.

"Let's go." She stood up and waited as he landed back onto the roof, again reaching his arms out for her. She swung her legs out and jumped right into his arms.

"That was..." He began but she shook her head.

"We can talk later. I'd rather not be corpse food. Let's go!" She dropped into the sun roof and got into the passenger seat.

Gajeel squeezed back inside and climbed awkwardly into the driver's seat. He cranked the truck up and sped off, running over a few eaters casually as he did.

* * *

While Gajeel and Levy had been sent off to gather medical supplies, the master had sent Erza, Lucy and Natsu to get food and drink.

They weren't certain how long they would be holed up on the base and needed to be sure they could survive without going out for however long it takes.

The trio walked to every convenience store and gas station on the way to the old grocery store in town. Each had a duffle to fill with supplies.

Two gas stations and a small convenience store later only half of Lucy's duffle had been filled.

Since it was still early in the day, the dead were less likely to be out and about without cause. They remained silent until they reached the grocery store.

The automatic doors no longer worked, but this was no issue. Erza pulled a sword from it's sheath on her hip and stuck it between the doors giving it a firm sideways push.

The doors pushed open enough for Lucy and Natsu to grab and pull apart. The doors opened and stayed that way.

The small group ventured in and wrinkled their nose at the putrid smell of the rotting freezer section and fresh produce section.

They quickly made their way to the canned and boxed goods. Erza filled her bag with canned vegetables, fruits and soups while Lucy filled her bag with pasta, beans and rice.

Natsu was loading up his duffle with water. They collected and filtered rain water, but it didn't always rain quite enough.

It took them less than 20 minutes in their sections to load up, now it was time to go.

Feeling much heavier, they powered through the feeling of extra weight and began the journey home.

It took them a bit longer to get home than it did to get to the store, even with pit stops, due to the weight of the bags slowing them down.

As soon as they arrived at the gates, Juvia let them in. She had been out building barricades with Gray and the others.

The group entered the guild with their 3 duffle bags full of rations. The master seemed pleased with their bounty as he watched them unload it onto the bar counter.

"Great work, kiddos. This should last us for a few months."

Gajeel and levy entered the building with both of their duffle bags loaded on their backs.

"We're back, Master!" Levy called cheerfully to the little old man by the bar.

"Did you get what we need?"

She nodded excitedly and set her duffle on a pub table, Gajeel following suit.

"Excellent, my girl. Wendy, child, come here." The old man called behind him as he approached the table where the pair sat.

A young girl who couldn't be more than 12 stepped out from behind the bar carrying a little white cat in her arms. She approached the table and stood beside the master.

Levy opened the bag for the girl and smiled.

"Will this do, you think?" She asked.

The girl peered into the bag and opened the other, rifling through it. She nodded and smiled brightly.

"This should do just fine, Levy San!"

Gajeel stared at the little girl, dumb struck.

"What's a kid got to do with medical supplies?"

Wendy blushed and began to mumble and explanation. Levy rested a hand on her shoulder and smiled until she calmed down.

"Gajeel, this is Wendy. She trains with our medic, Porlyusica. She is very talented. She can take care of wounds and even perform minor surgeries."

Gajeel winced at the thought of a 12 year old performing any kind of surgery.

"What's considered major surgery to you guys?" He asked with raised studs.

"Wendy giggled and looked to the floor awkwardly.

"Anything involving vital organs..."

Gajeel was impressed, yet terrified.

"GUYS, HOLD ON TO YOUR TITTIES. THESE FUCKERS ARE COMIN' FAST! GRAB YOUR WEAPONS!" Cana shouted frantically from her spot by the window.

* * *

A van speeds down the street surrounded by people running at full speed towards Fairy Tail. Down the road, Jiemma walks in slow, calculated steps.

He is in no rush to make it to the guild, more than willing to let his puppets handle the majority for him. On top of the van are Sting, Rogue and Minerva.

Without a single issue, they slam right through Fairy Tail's fence, busting the lock completely off.

From inside the guild, Elfman watches through the window, cursing his shitty handy work on the fence.

As soon as the van is close enough to the entrance of Fairy tail, the trio leap from the top of the vehicle and run at the entrance as fast as humanly possible.

Minerva kicks down the door with incredible force, knocking a few hinges loose. Sting and rogue are on either side of her, both wielding sawed off shot guns.

Minerva draws her sword from her hip and holds it out to Erza's throat, a devilish smirk gracing her features.

"Minerva of Saber Tooth, at your service."

* * *

 ***AUTHOR'S NOTE***

I finally updated. Yay!

Tell me what you think, I'd love to know!

Any improvements? Any issues?

Thanks for reading!


	7. Chapter 7

Survival of the Fairies Ch. 7: Save Our Souls

Well, it certainly has been a while for this story, hasn't it?

FORTUNATELY I WROTE AN OUTLINE FOR THIS CHAPTER AFTER I POSTED CHAPTER 6.

Good thing, because I totally had forgotten where I was going with it.

But, NEVER FEAR, the outline is here.

Let's start where we left off, hm?

* * *

"Minerva of Saber Tooth at your service." Her eyes were full of excitement as she held her blade against the scarlet haired woman's throat. The cool metal lightly scraped against her flesh causing a minuscule flow of crimson to stain the exposed skin beneath the iron blade.

Erza glared down at the offending tool furiously. A sword to her neck wasn't going to stop her from protecting her friends. She had faced far worse things in this life than some cocky woman with a shitty excuse for a sword. Without a second thought, Erza's arm swung out and knocked the sword away from her neck, cutting her arm in the process. She didn't care that her arm was bleeding. She needed to take her down. Minerva prepared to attack, but Erza was quicker and kicked her in the chest, sending her flying back out of the guild.

Sting lunged for his partner out of instinct, but Rogue's strong grip on his arm held him in position. Minerva was a strong woman and could hold her own against a fellow swordsman, Sting was well aware. Understanding that loss of focus wasn't an option, he turned away from his injured partner to deal with the opponents before him. His sapphire eyes locked on to a familiar cherry blossom pink. He had long admired Natsu, but he never really paid Sting any mind. Perhaps now was his chance to finally be seen by the one person who made him feel invisible.

Sting raised his sawed off shotgun into the air and aimed directly at Natsu. He was standing alone by the bar. Everyone else had engaged in combat around them, but Natsu hadn't moved a muscle. He wondered why he seemed so calm, like he was waiting. He still wasn't seeing him. How, with a gun pointed directly at him only 10 feet in front of him, how was Sting still so damn invisible?

A loud shot rang through the bar causing everyone to still. The shot had missed him. A sigh of relief threatened to escape Sting's lips as he realized no harm had come to Natsu. Sting didn't want to take Natsu's life, not at all. He just wanted to get his attention. This is a battle and if Sting has to play soldier until the King is overthrown, he will play with the best.

Sting's relief was soon replaced by confusion. Natsu still hadn't moved. It was as if he were a statue. Confusion morphed into anger not long after.

Sting charged at Natsu, which he expected. While Minerva had made her grand entrance with the other two, Lucy had slipped away from Natsu. He had told her that there was a high chance that Sting would come for him first, so Lucy took it upon herself to make sure this would be a simple fight. It wasn't as simple as she had thought, however.

Natsu never mentioned the possibility of Sting shooting at him. As he charged Natsu, Lucy followed close behind. She used another Saber member that was getting a rather unfortunate beer stein beat down by Cana as a launching point. Springing from the poor tiger's shoulders she launched herself onto Sting from behind. She pulled her whip against his neck, choking him. Sting flailed and tugged at her whip to no avail. Lucy's legs wrapped around him tightly as she tried to maintain her balance on his back. He stumbled and wobbled knocking her back into other people, friends and enemies alike, as well as slamming her into a couple of walls. He staggered over to the bar where he tried to slam her backwards into the counter, hoping she would lose her balance and release him. This plan backfired, however.

Slamming her backwards onto the counter put her in a laying position on her back. She tightened the whip around his neck and he was consequently unable to stand up. Everything was going black for him. He was losing and he could do nothing to save himself. In one last feeble attempt to break free, he rolled violently to the right. Unfortunately for Sting, Lucy was like an alligator with her prey and she simply rolled with him. He was now below her on the counter. She sat atop his back and tugged harder. He writhed beneath her for only a few seconds more before the dark consumed him entirely. She climbed down from the counter and smirked.

"One down... 50 more to go?" She shrugged as she looked around at all of the fighting around her. Fairy Tail was holding their own really well considering what Saber Tooth is known for. She wiped her brow and took in deep breaths. Taking him down had been a bit of a challenge for her and took far longer than she had thought. All around them the inside of the guild was swarmed. It was difficult to differentiate friend from foe in such a confined space. Things were flying everywhere and the noise was out of control. Lucy worried that the living wouldn't be the only threat in this fight.

She felt a hand rest on her shoulder and immediately grabbed hold with all her might. She pulled and bent forward, tossing her partner over her shoulder and into a group of brawlers, knocking them down like bowling pins. She heard his laugh and realized what she had done. He pulled himself up and smiled, giving her a high five once stabilized.

"Atta girl, Luce! We can take' em!" He laughed. Lucy nodded and smiled.

"Right!"

* * *

Around the corner, Yukino peeked her head out, watching the battle with sorrowful eyes from the basement door. Levy wasted no time and went right in for a fight, shocking Gajeel. She used her stealthy size to her advantage and weaved through the mess of swinging limbs and blunt objects as she made her way to her target. She had her sights set on one man and one man only. Lucy was dealing with Sting and Erza was taking on Minerva outside. Levy knew the three that came in first had to be the biggest threats aside from their master himself. If she was right, taking this guy out was top priority.

Gajeel lost sight of her in all the commotion and began to panic. He was supposed to have her back, but she was just so damn tiny. He plowed through the groups of fighters, tossing them aside like trash as he went, searching for his petite blunette partner. He spotted her just as she went in for the kill.

Rogue had pointed his gun at Lucy on the bar. Levy slid to his side from behind him and kicked her leg high in the air. As her leg came down it slammed onto his arm that was holding the gun. The gun clattered to the floor and she quickly kicked it away into the crowd. Gajeel grabbed the back of her black turtleneck and pulled her behind him.

"I'll take 'em on. Ya jus' watch my back, shorty." She nodded and grabbed a metal pipe that rolled across the floor. Gajeel landed a punch on him, sending him back. His back hit a juke box by the entrance of the bar. As he tried to steady himself, his hands hit a random set of buttons. A song began to blare out. Enemies by Shinedown ripped through the bar. Gajeel smiled wickedly at him.

"This' the song I'mma kick yer ass to. Remember it." Rogue looked back to the bar where Sting lay unconscious. He cursed under his breath as he dared a glance out of the open guild doors. Minerva was fighting Erza with everything she had, their swords clashing violently as they battled for dominance. When Rogue turned his attention back to Gajeel, he was already standing directly in from of him. Gajeel smirked cockily.

"Miss me?" His fist rammed into his gut before he could even process his words.

Rogue doubled over in pain, gagging. Gajeel circled him like a vulture, waiting for him to get back up. Rogue decided he could use this to his advantage. He rested on the ground, still curled in a ball despite the fact that the pain had mostly subsided. As he suspected, Gajeel went to tap him with his foot. Rogue grabbed his left foot and twisted, bringing Gajeel to the ground. Levy noticed instantly that Rogue had broken Gajeel's ankle. Wendy would need to treat him immediately. He couldn't possibly fight if he couldn't stand.

Rogue stood from the ground and went for Levy, but saw the familiar white hair from the corner of his eye. He lost focus and Levy took that opportunity to get her hands dirty. She gripped her metal pipe and swung with all her might, hitting Rogue in the jaw, knocking him back. She then grabbed a nearby bar stool and threw it at him with all the power her little body could muster. The bar stool made heavy full frontal impact knocking him to the ground. Gajeel stared wide eyed as Levy climbed onto his chest and raised a tiny fist in the air. She slammed a mean right hook into his jaw surprisingly hard enough to call lights out. Sitting on his chest still she giggled and clapped her hands, looking back at Gajeel with a terrifying twinkle in her eyes.

"I need to get you to Wendy. Now." She climbed off of the unconscious Rogue and stood behind Gajeel. She grabbed him from under both arms and huffed as she dragged him to the back room where Wendy knew to hide with the supplies. Gajeel was a big man, but she was glad it wasn't Elfman she was dragging. She would have never made it. Wendy winced at his ankle when she saw it.

"This is pretty bad... I think I am going to need to operate on it, Levy-san." She nodded and sighed.

"I figured as much." Gajeel began to sweat bullets and reached for Levy like a child reaching for its mother on the first day of pre-K.

"Oi! Yer not gunna jus' leave me here with a kid an' a knife!" He practically screamed. Wendy frowned and held up the tool he referred to as a knife.

"It's a scalpel, Gajeel-san." She corrected, insulted by his lack of faith in her skills. She couldn't blame him though. She was the youngest surgeon in existence at the moment. The only reason she could even perform surgery was because her science teacher, Porlyusica, had taken her when the outbreak hit and decided that teaching her survival medical and minor surgeries was a good idea in case she was killed and Wendy was left to fend for herself.

Porlyusica made sure that Wendy could survive on her own if she had no other choice. After finding Fairy Tail, Porlyusica's worries were laid to rest. No matter what happened, Wendy would never be alone.

"Same difference! It's pointy an' it's gunna hurt like a mother fucker." he argued vehemently.

Levy rolled her eyes and walked over to him. She knelt down to his level, which felt strange because it was usually the other way around. Feeling cocky, she patted his head. He narrowed his eyes at her as she spoke.

"You can't fight like this. Let Wendy do what she does best." Wendy smiled and nodded. Gajeel groaned deeply and rolled his eyes. Levy stood to her feet and began walking to the exit. Gajeel grabbed a wad of latex gloves and tossed them at her back.

"Where tha hell do ya think yer goin'? We're partners. If I'm outta tha fight, so're you. Get yer crazy ass back in here. Ya ain't kickin' ass or gettin' yer ass kicked without me." She stood in front of the door in silence. He really took their partnership seriously. It made her heart melt in her chest like a Popsicle in July.

"I'll stay."

* * *

"Gajeel and Levy are out, but the good news is that the Saber twins are down." Lucy shouted to Natsu as she throat punched one of her attackers. Natsu noticed Yukino staring at Rogue on the floor across the room. Some of the fighting had died down as more and more people were injured. There was now a clear view of the entrance from the back.

"Yo, Luce... Gray mentioned that Yukino chick had a partner in this guild, right?" Lucy dodged chains that had come flying at her and kicked the assailant in the groin. She nodded.

"Yeah. Why?" Natsu leaned back, avoiding a flying fist to the face. He grabbed the enemy's arm and twisted. A loud cry came from the man as Natsu shoved him to the ground and put a foot to his throat.

"Don't you fucking move." He growled at the man beneath him. A frantic nod was the only response.

His golden olive serpentine eyes found Lucy. A girl had run at her with an axe and much to Natsu's surprise, Lucy made a pretty risky move. With no fear for her limbs, she delivered a powerful kick to the girl's face, no doubt breaking her nose. The girl fell to the floor in a fit of agony.

Lucy whipped her head around to face Natsu, her long, golden hair swung through the air, restricted by a tight braid and black cloth that served as a decorative ribbon at the end. Like many things about Lucy, her fighting was weird, yet oddly charming. She had this thing about naming her moves as she did them. Her favorite and most commonly used was 'Lucy Kick'. At first Natsu thought it was silly, but now it was just part of Lucy and just as he had learned to love her, he also had come to love her quirks. Not that he could really talk...

"She keeps looking at sleeping beauty number two over there. I think he's her's." He tossed his head back in Rogue's direction. Lucy glanced to Yukino in the doorway and followed her line of sight. She realized that Natsu was right. Yukino looked very concerned for the guy. Lucy sighed and made her way to the unconscious form on the floor. Natsu cleared a path for her, knocking heads and taking out legs as they went. Lucy leaned down and grabbed the man behind his arms.

"Levy really did a number on this poor guy. Who knew? Haha." Lucy laughed breathily as she lugged the man across the floor. Natsu walked to the bar and hoisted Sting over his shoulder. Lucy cocked an eyebrow in confusion.

"Might as well lock up sunshine here with them, too. If he wakes up he'll just keep fighting. He's like that." Natsu rolled his eyes and adjusted the man over his shoulder, following after Lucy as Cana, Max and Laki held down the fort. Yukino reached greedily for Rogue as they approached. Tears covered her reddened face and her eyes were puffy and swollen.

"Grab his feet." Lucy groaned at her. She didn't want to be rude, the girl was sweet and all, but this guy was really fucking heavy. Dead weight is the worst.

She nodded and grabbed his legs as fast as she could make herself move. Together they hauled the guys down the basement steps and into the cell. Lucy laid Rogue on the floor gently and Yukino immediately crawled beside him, lifting his head to cradle it in her lap. Natsu dropped Sting onto the cot against the wall, his body landing with a loud 'BOOF' on the dusty furnishing. Lucy scowled at Natsu's lack of respect for their defeated enemies. He shrugged and turned to Yukino as Lucy exited the cell.

"Yo, Yukino. We gotta lock you in if ya wanna stay with 'em." He waved over his shoulder as he left the cell. It closed with a sharp click. The pair disappeared up the stairs, rejoining the battle.

Yukino didn't answer, she just kept her eyes on Rogue as she stroked his hair from his eyes, revealing the scar across his nose. She remembered the day he got it. He had faced up to Jiemma shortly after bringing Yukino to Saber Tooth. The first time Yukino refused to participate, the master had threatened her, tried to strike her even. Rogue had attacked him immediately. He lost, but after that Jiemma left her alone. She was punished for not participating in raids, but it was never anything she couldn't handle. His favorite punishment was leaving her out in the wilderness without supplies at night. She knew he was hoping that the dead would over power her, but they never did. Yukino always emerged victorious. As awful as this punishment was, it served as a useful training for her. She later came to learn that this was how he broke Minerva into compliance. She couldn't imagine having such an awful man as a father. He was bad enough as a master. Yukino smiled and rested her head back against the wall.

"Minerva-sama has a plan. Things will be better soon, Rogue-sama. I just know it."

* * *

Most of the attackers within the guild had been dealt with. They suffered no casualties as of yet, but a few had been seriously injured. Max and Laki were down having taken severe damage. Outside the sound of a machine gun could be heard. Cana laughed.

"Ye-he-heah! Fairy machine gun! Fuck em' up Ever!" she shouted. Lucy groaned and kicked a guy with his face half covered by a black bandanna square in the chest, knocking the wind out of him before she landed a heavy punch to his gut making him hit the floor.

"That's not exactly a good thing, Cana! Noise attracts the dead things!" Lucy shivered and tensed her shoulders as she scrunched her nose in disgust. Cana tossed her head back and smiled at the grossed out blonde.

"Maybe they'll do us a favor and chomp down on some of these fuckers." Cana swung an empty whisky bottle, nailing a guy with long blonde hair in the back of the head as he went after Laxus and Mira who were occupied with a larger man a few feet away.

Lucy sighed and grabbed a letter opener from the bar. A woman attacked her from the side. Without even a hint of hesitation, Lucy dug the letter opener into the woman's neck and grabbed her by the hair, slamming her head into the bar. The girl hit the ground with a thud. Lucy avoided looking down and stuck by Cana to help her fight. Cana didn't have a partner and since Natsu was busy taking out his own trash, she figured she would make herself useful and help out a bit.

Minerva was fighting well against Erza. Their blades scraped and slammed together as they ran at each other over and over. It was a desperate dance of power and neither were winning until something caught Minerva's attention. From the opening of the bar, Minerva saw Sting's lifeless body being carried away and for a moment suspected the worst for her partner. Forgetting her fight, she ran for him.

"Sting!" she screamed. Erza grabbed her by the back of the neck and shoved her down to the ground. Her knee pressed hard into her back as Erza tried to subdue the screaming woman.

Minerva stopped shouting and calmed herself. She wasn't one to lose herself like this. She was well known for her unreadable and cold nature. This outburst was shameful for her, but she wasn't sure of Sting's safety, which terrified her. She seemed harsh and emotionless on the outside, but that really wasn't the case at all.

"Please... We need your help." She growled, hating the words she spoke. Minerva was hoping to just let the plan sort itself out, but she didn't feel that was an option anymore.

She didn't want any deaths. Fighting was simply a show for her father to appease him, a ruse. It had been Minerva's idea all along to attack Fairy Tail. She had nothing against them, but she had heard many things about the guild from passersby. She had heard that they had numbers, good numbers. She also heard that they were quite the formidable opponents during their occasional run-ins with trouble making groups. She had been impressed by their reputation and hoped that perhaps they could solve her problem. Nobody in Saber Tooth was brave enough to take her father on. Rogue tried once and all he got was a permanent reminder of his failure. Minerva knew she couldn't attack her father. She couldn't even poison him. He didn't trust her enough to eat or drink anything she made. He knew she loathed him. Minerva couldn't simply ask him to attack Fairy Tail as it would make him suspicious. Instead, she played on his need for power. She talked up Fairy Tail and made them seem far more superior than they truly were. She knew he was familiar with Fairy Tail's master, but he hadn't spoken with him in a long while. Anything could happen in that expanse of time. An outside group with tenacity such as Fairy Tail may just be able to take him down. They lack the fear the members of Saber Tooth live with, which would give them an edge in battle against him.

"What... You were fighting me no more than a few seconds ago, but now that I have you down you want help?" Erza asked incredulously. Minerva breathed heavy, her breaths stirring up the dirt beneath her.

"Please. Yukino, she made it here? Right? Tell me Yukino made it!" Minerva shouted in concern, straining to look over her shoulder at the woman kneeling into her back. Recognizing the girl's name, Erza nodded slowly.

"Yes... Yukino is here..." Although Yukino had told Gray and Juvia what was going on, she hadn't told Erza. In hindsight, perhaps Yukino should have informed everyone about the plan to kill Jiemma rather than relying on two members who may or may not be up to the task. Minerva sighed with relief and relaxed into the dirt.

"Look, you don't have to believe me, but I hope you will. My father, Master Jiemma... We need him to be taken down. We can't do it alone." Erza stared down at the woman beneath her. She seemed to have given up on the fight entirely. Erza glanced around at their surroundings.

A few groups were still fighting in the parking lot but it seemed a lot were down. Elfman was shielding an injured Ever whose machine gun had run out of ammo. Cana and Lucy were duking it out with another team a little bit away and in the distance Erza saw Gray and Juvia attacking a rather large man. Erza removed her knee and lifted Minerva from the ground. She turned her to face where Gray and Juvia were fighting tooth and nail.

"That's your father?" Erza asked in a dull monotone. Minerva nodded. Erza cracked her neck and grabbed her sword.

"Dead or alive?" Her words were nonchalant like as if she were asking if Minerva preferred one lump of sugar or two in her tea.

"D…dead." Minerva mumbled. Just wounding him wouldn't change his ways. She knew her father had to die.

"Consider it done." And with that, Erza began walking towards the end of the battle.

* * *

Gray ran at full speed when he saw Jiemma in the distance. He was the last one to enter the parking lot, no doubt allowing his meat puppets to fight his insignificant battles. Juvia tailed him, ready to fight alongside him. Gray pulled out his knife and prepared to attack. Jiemma saw him coming, though. He dodged Gray's attack and tossed him aside like yesterday's garbage. Juvia knew not to hesitate no matter what. She cocked back her spiked bat and made it seem like she planned to strike his knees. When he went to defend the area, she instead landed a crucial blow to his side, the nails of her bat ripping into his flesh. Blood and skin adorned her bat once more. Just how many times had she cleaned it now? He gripped his bleeding side and hissed out a curse.

"You'll pay for that with your life." He threatened. Jiemma swung out his arm to strike Juvia, but Gray dove in front of her, taking the blow.

"Gray-sama!" She shouted. Gray wiped his mouth and stood to his feet, wobbling a little.

"Don't worry about me!" His bravery made her chest tingle. Jiemma lunged for the boy, no longer able to contain his rage after being injured so easily, by a young girl no less. Gray dodged his attack and slid behind him. His knife dug into Jiemma's back, but unfortunately not anywhere near any vital organs. He was injured, but he wasn't dying. Jiemma roared with fury and once again launched him back. Juvia was about to go in for another hit when he tossed Gray back, but someone beat her to it. Out of seemingly nowhere, a flash of white hair swung in front of her, landing a heavy blow to the back of Jiemma's head with a large piece of broken lumber.

"Personally, I prefer to use my pistol, but with your's and my brother's proximity to this brute, I couldn't risk it. Hope you don't mind my little visit." Lyon chucked the wood to the side and swiped his leg out in front of him, knocking Jiemma to the ground.

Juvia and Gray gaped at Lyon. When the hell did he even get there? Jiemma grunted and grabbed the boy's leg with a powerful grip and pulled, causing Lyon to slam onto his back, knocking the back of his head into the concrete of the parking lot. He began to see double when Jiemma rolled on top of his much smaller form. He wrapped a single hand around Lyon's throat and squeezed. Lyon gasped for air and clawed at Jiemma as he kicked his legs desperately trying to get free. Gray became filled with rage and plowed into Jiemma from the side, jamming his knife into his ribs. Jiemma released Lyon and hit the ground. Gray left his blade in Jiemma's ribs, opting to rearrange his face a bit. Jiemma didn't bother trying to protect his face, instead he pulled the knife from his ribs. Juvia knew what Jiemma planned to do within an instant and cocked her bat back at top speed. No matter how quick she was, in that moment he was faster. The knife jammed into Gray's right hip. He gasped in pain and was thrown from atop him. Jiemma lunged for Juvia and kicked her to the ground.

"So this is the all-powerful Fairy Tail? Did that rotten child dare lie to me?" His voice was low and ominous as he loomed over her.

She gritted her teeth in anger. Anger at this man, Saber Tooth, herself... She knew how to fight, so why was she in this position. She trembled with rage as the sting of incoming tears pricked at her sinuses. He reached for her head and placed the entire palm over her face. He squeezed mercilessly while Juvia screamed in pain. Gray and Lyon both scrambled to her aid, but stopped when they saw Erza leap into the air effortlessly with her sword in position to kill. As she landed behind Jiemma, her sword went straight through his back and out his chest, stabbing the gravel between Juvia's thighs. His hand fell from her face and he slumped against the ground in front of Juvia.

"I'll have my sword back now." Slowly she pushed into his back with her foot until her blade was fully removed from his lifeless body. She looked down to her sword and frowned. She hated taking lives, but she knew well of Jiemma's tyrannical rule over Saber Tooth. He was a wicked man long before this new world order began. Death was the only ticket to freedom for Saber Tooth.

Minerva gaped at the scene with teary eyes. Her father hitting the ground, lifeless, was an answered prayer. Erza looked over her shoulder to where Minerva was standing. Behind her a few lesser injured Saber Tooth members stood silently watching. Erza smiled softly and raised her sword in the air.

"You have your freedom!" She shouted to them. The members behind Minerva erupted in cheers. Their voices filled Minerva's heart with hope, a hope she hadn't felt in a long time. Her tears flowed freely when she heard the voice she wanted to hear most behind her.

"What now, Milady?" She spun around to face him. Both he and Rogue were being held up by Yukino. She stumbled forward and wrapped her arms around his neck, sobbing into his shoulder.

"He's... Gone!" She cried. The members gathered around her and bowed.

"Master Minerva, what would you have us do?" one spoke up. Minerva's eyes widened and she shook her head. She didn't want to be the Master. She didn't want to be where her father once was, but she knew someone fit to lead.

"No. I am no Master to you. Sting will take over, Saber Tooth will be as it should have always been. A family for those without."

Sting was a bit childish at times and had a tendency to sometimes take on more than he could handle, but she knew this was exactly the right choice. She knew Sting's heart and that was the kind of heart this guild needed if they were going to make it out here. This world has gone to the dogs, but there is still hope for the future and with Sting as their new guild master, the future was looking a little brighter.

"Milady... I don't th-" She smiled and pressed a finger to his lips.

"Are you questioning my judgement?" she challenged. He shook his head in response.

"I have faith you will lead us well." She assured him.

Juvia and Erza helped Gray and Lyon walk to the group. Erza placed a hand delicately on Minerva's shoulder. She smiled at the woman who granted her freedom.

"Thank you. It means more than you know." The scarlet haired swordswoman patted her shoulder and continued to help Juvia cart the boys off. As they passed, Yukino whispered a 'thank you' to the pair that had helped her. Juvia smiled and nodded. Gray felt bad for not being the one to finish Jiemma off, but as long as the bastard was dead details were merely details he guessed.

He was proud of Juvia for getting her hit in. She did some real damage, but he wished he had gotten more action. One might say he got too much with his current condition, but he highly doubted being tossed around like a rag doll constituted as action. At least not action to be proud of. He was proud though, regardless. He protected Juvia and his brother when they needed him and that was something he hadn't done before. Juvia had been saving him from day one, but now that he thought about it, this was the first time he had ever managed to protect her from harm. It felt pretty damn good. His body would disagree, though.

"A REAL MAN CLEANS UP HIS MESS!" Elfman shouted at the Saber Tooth members that were still able to stand. They all stared at him wide eyed and fearful. Minerva winced and looked off to the side shamefully. Yukino smiled halfheartedly and patted her shoulder. Evergreen swatted him with a stick.

"Quit yelling, meat head!" He frowned and crossed his arms.

"I'M NOT A MEAT HEAD. I'M A MAN. YOU STOP YELLING FIRST, WOMAN!" He argued. Lucy laughed nervously and looked to the sky.

"It's getting dark. If the dead didn't find us earlier, they're about to." She sighed and looked back to Cana. Natsu was standing beside her handing her a bottle of beer.

Pretty much the only runs Cana made were booze runs. She would go out on group missions and bring in as much booze as she could carry from various places. Houses, businesses, didn't matter. If there was booze, she'd find it. Makarov had no objections. What's a bar without booze? A bad one, that's what. Besides, in this hell-hole, booze was a life saver. Literally. Pain relief, sanitation of wounds... Cana's old friend Vodka has you covered. Cana took a well-deserved swig of the beer and smiled.

"Fuck it. I say let 'em. Ol' fireball here has been dyin' to bust out his new toy for weeks." She nudged the now maniacally grinning Natsu. Lucy widened her eyes and shook her head slowly.

"Oh, God no... NO." His grin only stretched wider and he nodded.

"Oh, HELL YEAH." He laughed and ran inside the guild. Lucy ran after him with her arms in the air.

"Natsu! There aren't any rotters near here yet!" He smiled and looked back at her over his shoulder as he ran, jumping over the unconscious as he went.

"It's always good to be prepared, right, Luce?! Hahahahaha!" She groaned at his attempt at a 'responsible adult' excuse. As she ran after him to try to persuade him from breaking out his new dangerous toy he acquired on their last mission before Juvia and Gajeel came along, Elfman and Evergreen had come to an agreement and began cleaning up all of the debris.

The able bodied Saber Members began gathering the unconscious and bringing them into the bar. Erza nudged Jiemma with her foot and crossed her arms. Sting and Minerva approached from behind.

"Minerva. He is your father. What would you have me do with his body?" She asked without turning around. Minerva stepped away from Sting and stood beside Erza. She looked down to the man she once called 'father' with nothing but disdain and overwhelming joy.

"Leave him for the night walkers. Let there be nothing left." She spat on his corpse and turned on her heel, returning to her partner. Erza closed her eyes and nodded.

"As you wish." She turned and joined them on their walk back to the bar.

* * *

Gajeel was fast asleep in the back room. Wendy had managed to fix him up quite nicely. During the surgery he nursed a bottle of Jack like it was his lifeline. Wendy informed Levy he may be a bit sick when he woke up and gave her a bottle of pain killers. She warned her to monitor his intake. Last thing they needed was for him to accidentally become addicted. Levy agreed that he would never have the pills to himself. She was always with him anyhow. There was no need for him to be alone with them. If he needed anything she would be there. Wendy tended to the other injured. Fortunately none needed surgery. Some stitches and bandaging, but no surgery. She had her work cut out for her. Levy told her she would bandage if she stitched. Wendy agreed.

Night fell upon the guild quickly. They could hear the broken screeching of metal fence scraping concrete and knew the army of rotting meat sacks had arrived. After all the noise they made today it was inevitable. Natsu jumped behind the bar and pulled on his new favorite accessory. Juvia narrowed her eyes at him from across the room and crossed her arms over her chest.

"The lighter and Hairspray was bad enough, Natsu-san. Now you really will burn everything down!" She scolded. Lucy sighed and tossed her head back.

"Heaven take me now..." She whined. Mira giggled beside Natsu and shrugged.

"It has been a bit nippy out." She reasoned. Lucy gawked at her, wondering why she was surprised that she was humoring him. That's just how Mira was. Too kind for her own good.

Juvia rolled her eyes and lay back on the table she was sitting on. On the table beside her, Gray and Lyon were chatting quietly among themselves. She smiled at the pair as they were lost in their own little world. It must have been so nice to learn that he was alive all this time and found himself a safe guild to call home. Juvia looked around for Gajeel and became worried when she didn't see him. Levy was bandaging up Ever's ribs a few feet away.

"Levy-san... Where is Gajeel-kun? Is he alright?" She stopped bandaging and froze. She had completely forgotten to inform Juvia of his injury. She must have been so worried when she couldn't find him. She nodded and continued bandaging.

"Yeah…he's fine. His, uh…ankle was broken pretty badly. Wendy had to perform surgery on him. Screws." She winced at the last bit, feeling sorry for her partner. She knew he would not be happy about sitting out for such a long time. He was bound to get antsy. Juvia's eyes widened momentarily before becoming sinister slits.

"Who broke his ankle?" She growled as her navy eyes scanned the room. Levy's eyes flitted to where Rogue and Yukino were sitting. Juvia followed her gaze and locked on to her target once she found it.

"Yukino-san's partner. Juvia sees." She would have given him an unpleasant parting gift for his actions, but he was Yukino's partner. She just wouldn't do it. Her anger faded and she took a seat beside Levy.

Natsu was already heading outside to greet the stench hoard. Lucy followed after him and readied her whip. They found multitudes of them surrounding the fence and climbing over the broken gate. Natsu laughed and prepared to fire. Just his luck that he would come across a flame thrower.

"Get ready to taste Igneel's flames, bastards!" And with that he unleashed a hellfire that Satan himself couldn't control. He created a barrier of fire between the dead and the guild. One by one they walked into the fire and fell victim to its destructive nature. Lucy lowered her whip and frowned.

"You didn't save me any." She pouted. He smiled and wrapped his arm around her shoulders as they watched them burn.

"Next time, Luigi." She smiled. That was the first name he called her when they met. He had forgotten her name as soon as she said it. He called her Luigi for a straight week. It used to annoy her, but now it was a fond memory.

"Yeah. Next time."

"What happened to you?" Gray asked Lyon. He chuckled and shook his head as he looked to the floor.

"Really, Gray? You wandered off and you are asking me what happened?" Gray frowned. He was right. In all the panic, Gray had separated from him. Everything was happening so fast and there was so much screaming and turmoil. The city handled the outbreak with as much grace as a Chihuahua on stilts. It was just too much for him. He ran and hid. He thought Lyon had followed him, but he hadn't. An entire year passed and the whole time, both thought the other had died.

"Yeah... Right. I'm... ah... I'm sorry." Lyon nodded and patted his shoulder.

"You're here now. And alive! That's all that matters. To answer your question... I searched for you. Weeks went by and nothing. So, I traveled west and found Lamia Scale. Been there ever since. I take it your experience was similar?" Gray felt a guilty jab in his gut. Weeks. Lyon had searched for him for weeks. Gray searched for Lyon as well, but gave up after only a single week. He had come to accept that those close to him simply didn't live. It was no surprise that Lyon would be the same. When he found him at the gas station he wanted to bring him back to Fairy Tail, but he knew that Lyon had found a family in his absence. Perhaps it was for the best.

"Yeah. Something like that... I'm glad you're back. Thanks... for the help." He peeked at Lyon out of the corner of his eye from under a thin curtain of messy dark hair. Lyon smiled at him and nodded.

"I wasn't planning to fight, but I didn't travel all this way to sit back and watch my brother be beaten to death." Gray frowned. Okay, so Jiemma was a tough bastard, but did he have to say it like that?

"Yeah, yeah." He rolled his eyes and carefully shifted his position. Wendy had just stitched him up a half hour ago. It stung like a bitch. Lyon placed an ice pack against the back of his head and sighed.

"So, she accepted your partnership." He observed. Gray's eyes found Juvia talking to Levy a bit away. He nodded.

"Yeah. She did. But, we're just friends right now. Taking it slow." Lyon laughed.

"So old fashioned." He teased. Gray shoved him gently.

"Shut up." Lyon watched Juvia for a minute and sighed.

"Lucky man." Gray's eyes narrowed and he flicked Lyon's ear.

"Quit checking her out. Pervert." He laughed and shook his head.

"I would never!" Gray rolled his eyes.

"Tell that to the "Winter Babes" Special I found under your mattress." Lyon squawked like a strangled chicken.

"THAT WAS 3 YEARS AGO, ASSHOLE." Gray smirked and shrugged.

"Still happened." Lyon crossed his arms and looked out the window. Flames were everywhere.

"THE LOT IS ON FIRE!" He screeched. The saber members all gathered at the windows to watch. The Fairies simply carried about their business. Gray shook his head.

"Don't worry about it. That's just Natsu." Lyon blinked at his reaction. All that fire... Just Natsu... Totally normal. What the hell is this guild?

* * *

Later that night, all of the Saber members bunked with the Fairies, including a single Lamia member. Lyon insisted on staying in Gray and Juvia's room, but there was the matter of sleeping arrangements.

"You can sleep on my cot, I'll take the floor." Gray offered. Lyon told him that he couldn't possibly, but Juvia got irritated with their constant back and forth that was quickly escalating into a fist fight. She practically shoved Lyon down onto Gray's cot. That settled that. When Lyon had fallen asleep, Gray lay awake in the dark on the floor beside his cot. He noticed Juvia's arm hanging off of her cot and decided to use it as an excuse to see if she was awake.

He crawled over to her and gently placed her hand back onto her cot. She sighed in her sleep and rolled to face him, but she was fast asleep. He smiled and nodded to himself. Of course she was asleep.

"I think I like you... more than before... And I ... I wanna protect you." He whispered to her. She didn't wake up, but somehow he felt his words reached her.

On his cot, Lyon smiled into the dark. He was glad that his brother had found someone worth surviving for. His little secret confession tugged Lyon's heartstrings. It reminded him of when they were younger and Lyon was being bullied. Gray wasn't always the bravest, but when he found something worth fighting for, he protected it fiercely. Gray had protected Lyon that day and when he asked him why, his exact words were _"You're my brother now. I wanna protect you."_ Lyon closed his eyes and rolled to face the wall.

 _'Goodnight, Gray.'_

* * *

The next morning they said goodbye to the members of Saber Tooth. They had a few hours journey to get back to the Saber Hotel/ Casino. Jiemma was a pretty big fish before everything went down. The Saber Tooth digs were pretty ritzy. Once they all departed to start a new life without their previous dictator, Juvia turned to Gray and grabbed his hand. He stared down at her hand in his nervously. Seeing his reaction, Juvia pulled her hand back.

"Oh, sorry, Gray-sama. Juvia was just excited to tell you... She is ready to get her mark." Gray scratched the back of his head awkwardly and stammered.

"R-right. Yeah. Just uh... Ask Laxus. He'll take care of you." She smiled and waved at him excitedly as she ran off to find Laxus. Lyon leaned against the door frame and smirked.

"Taking it slow, huh?" Gray groaned and tossed a piece of wadded up paper at him.

"What do you want Lyon?" He chuckled and shrugged.

"Nothing." He gave Gray a small salute before disappearing into the hall. Gray leaned against the wall and slid down until he was sitting. So many emotions he was feeling. His brother was back, the battle was won, Juvia was safe... Alive. If Erza hadn't swooped in when she did, there is no telling what Jiemma would have done to Juvia. He made a mental note to thank her later. Things were looking up. The world was still hell on Earthland, but even so, things didn't seem so bad now. Gray chuckled quietly to himself.

 _'Maybe it's just my imagination.'_

* * *

AUTHORS NOTE:

I FINALLY FINISHED IT!

FINALLY!

NOW I WILL SLEEP FOR A VERY, VERY LONG TIME.

Next chapter will feature JERZA.

THAT'S RIGHT. I'M BRINGING IN JELLYBAE.

Next chapter update should be for either One of Us or The Sea Fairies.

Whichever one I am in the mood for I guess.

Hope you like it!


	8. Chapter 8

**Survival of the Fairies Ch. 8: Choices**

Sorry for not updating in so long!

I have been pretty busy with work, requests and family lately.

I am doing my best to update these when I can.

I hope you all enjoy!

* * *

The wind whistled around her as she ventured through the forest outside the fairy base, leaves crunching beneath her feet creating a haunting melody to accompany her on her solitary travels. Time had passed quickly for her since the attack, before she knew it the food supply had dwindled dangerously low. As usual, Erza took it upon herself to fulfill the needs of the guild. It was just who she was, who she had always been.

Her breathing was slow and controlled, limiting her noise levels to nearly nothing. She couldn't help the sound the leaves made beneath her feet, but she would make due.

A tree, easily climbable, stood before her. She had thought to perch herself in it to wait for an opportunity to present itself, but something tore her attention away from it. A bit away was a noteworthy buck. She had struck gold, at least for tonight. It wouldn't last them more than a night, but it was still something to keep them alive another day.

She smiled to herself proudly as she lifted her bow with perfect form. She released her breath as she released the arrow. The creature went down with a pained groan that made her heart ache. She didn't particularly like the killing aspect of this life, but it was a necessity these days. Before she could place her bow on her back she was taken to the ground from above.

"Ahhhghhh." She flipped herself over with the being on her back. She worked quickly, struggling with the assailant to gain the upper hand. Her body twisted and turned, lurching and writhing with her back against the attackers chest, which felt flat, meaning it was either a small chested female or a man. The person held her tightly, refusing to let her go. She decided that struggling would only wear her out.

Erza let herself go limp in their arms, feigning fatigue. The grip loosened and she felt large, strong hands move to her sides. She took this opening to strike. She flipped herself again, this time she straddled it, her knees on either side of it. Her hands pinned it's arms to the dirt with such strength it baffled the scoundrel beneath her.

It was a man with deep blue hair, a few shades darker than Juvia's perhaps. Over his right eye was a strange red tattoo, the design was lovely, but the placement was questionable. He seemed quite handsome to her, so much so that she found herself feeling a little flustered in such a compromising position. She suddenly found herself extremely aware of her chest which was dangerously close to smothering the man. She quickly composed herself, not wanting to show any sign of vulnerability.

Normally, Erza preferred the company of other ladies, but there was something about him that she just couldn't put her finger on. He had gotten the jump on her, which is something nobody has done before, well, aside from Lucy that one time she had accidentally caught her in a pitfall trap that was meant for catching the dead. But, that was more or less Erza's fault for not being vigilant. This man caught her off guard when she was fully attentive to her surroundings. It was impressive to say the least.

"Valiant effort, but I'm afraid it wasn't enough. Now, I must ask, why?" She glared down at him so intensely it was a wonder there wasn't a hole burning through his skull. He shifted awkwardly beneath her, uncomfortable under her close scrutiny. He glanced to the buck across the way as he answered her question.

"My group is starving. I was going to kill that buck, but you beat me to it. You're a good shot." He praised breathily as she sat atop his abdomen.

She continued glaring for a moment. She couldn't tell if he was lying, but anything was possible. She lifted off of him and threw a pair of cuffs at him from her back pocket. She pulled her sword from it's sheath and held it to his throat.

"Put those on." She commanded.

He winced at the cold metal against his neck and carefully began putting on the cuffs as she had instructed.

"What are you going to do with me?" He asked shakily.

"Don't worry, you'll be safe. I am taking you home with me. As for your friends, if you decide that you like it where I stay, you may bring them." She attached a chain from her belt to his cuffs so that he was directly connected to her. Her hand reached into her cross body satchel and pulled out a rope. She tied the rope to her waist and then proceeded to tie it to the legs of the buck.

The man sighed and lifted his cuffed hands.

"You know, if we get ambushed by living or dead we are destined to fail. This animal is far too heavy to drag." He shook his cuffs at her, insinuating that if she took off the cuffs he could help carry the beast. She shook her head and smiled.

"Oh, and here I thought you were smart. Well, that may be true, but in this case I will have to disagree. You see, where I call home is right across that highway through those trees. Looks like you get to keep those lovely cuffs on." She patted his cheek and began walking towards the tree line, dragging both the man and the meat behind her as she went.

Through the trees a few yards away was a flash of amethyst hair. Sea foam eyes watched from behind a tree as the pair disappeared with the kill.

"I'll get you out of there, Jellal. I promise."

* * *

"Hey, Luce! You ready? We gotta go to the next town over." Natsu called to her from the Bar's back exit. Lucy smiled and nodded as she reached for the old wooden doors of the shed where once upon a time, Makarov had kept the business supplies for the bar, but now it was used for something else entirely. Something only Lucy had access to.

"Yep. Just gotta grab some friends. The more the merrier, right?" She giggled.

She gripped the handle and pulled open the latch. Groans filled the air and she covered her face with the black bandanna that was tied around her neck. She grabbed two rotters from the front and pulled them out, releasing them so that she could close the shed door back and lock it.

They began slowly fumbling towards Natsu, but she grabbed them by the chains on their neck before they could get far. She strapped rope to her waist and connected it to their neck chains.

Natsu had watched her do this hundreds of times before. It was no secret that Lucy was severely creeped out by things that were dead but still moved around, but sometimes she would find one that didn't freak her out. It was usually because they still had a humanity about them, a clue to their lives before they became what they are.

The two she pulled from the shed were a couple of her favorites. A man with spiky strawberry blonde hair and glasses. He wore a nice, albeit disheveled, suit. Lucy theorized that he was probably pretty successful, no kids or wife and probably had over 100 girlfriends. She named him Loke. The other was a short girl with bubblegum pink hair and what was probably once crystal blue eyes. She wore a painfully stereotypical maid uniform, which brought Lucy to the conclusion that she had probably been a kinky love slave when she was living. She named her Virgo for the irony.

Their jaws had been removed as well as their arms. Lucy had done this to protect the living that handled them, although she was the only one willing to handle them. Even Erza steered clear of Lucy's meat bag collection. To Natsu, it was just one more weird thing about Lucy, but he admired it.

The freaks on a leash were helpful, too. Of course they had a purpose. Lucy wouldn't have kept them if she didn't have well enough reason. The corpses she toted around made her practically invisible to other eaters. As long as Natsu stayed with her, he also benefited from the deadoflauge.

Natsu wrinkled his nose as Lucy walked by, parading her undead friends through the bar. Guild members moved out of the way faster than the parting of the sea. A chorus of gags rang through the open space as she confidently led them out the front, Natsu close behind.

"Why can't she just hack it like the rest of us? Those things are so disgusting." Bisca sneered from the bar. Natsu turned around at the door having heard her comment.

"Disgusting or not, they keep us safe. Lucy's smart. If you were smart, you would do it, too." He frowned and adjusted his flame thrower on his back as he continued following after Lucy whom was halfway to the gate.

He caught up to her quickly and grabbed her hand.

"You didn't have to do that. I know they don't really approve of my methods. It doesn't bother me. In fact, I enjoy grossing them out before missions. It's the highlight of my day." She laughed and glanced back lovingly at her rotting playboy and kinkster.

Natsu smiled wide and chuckled.

"I bet."

* * *

"Let's try this house. It looks untouched." Lucy suggested, pointing to a large manor standing alone on a large plot of land.

She had suggested her old neighborhood for scavenging. The houses were mostly manors and mansions, which might mean pantries full of canned goods and other supplies. Maybe even some clothing to bring back to the others. Normal houses have these items, too, but in Lucy's experience, large houses such as these were fortresses. They weren't easy to break into, but she was experienced with homes like these and knew exactly how to get in and out.

"Alright. You're the expert. Ladies first." He bowed and moved aside.

"Such a gentleman." She giggled as she carefully scaled the trellis to the upper balcony. She had tied Loke and Virgo to a tree in the yard to keep them from wandering off. Natsu followed up after her.

He waited as she busted the window.

"What's so special about that? I could'a done that." He complained. She smiled and nodded.

"Yep, you could have, however, not many people think to break in from the top. Most homes like these have extensive security systems. If we had broke in from the bottom floor, the alarm would have gone off and every walker from here to Magnolia would be on our asses. Usually, the top floor isn't as secure." She informed.

He nodded, impressed, but not surprised.

"Let's do this." He grinned wickedly and kicked the remaining glass out to make room for them to enter. He crawled in first and found himself in a swanky master bedroom.

"Wow. Nice digs." He opened a closet and walked in, searching for anything worth taking back to the base.

Lucy smiled and nodded.

"Yeah. Nice." She never too much cared for big houses and fancy clothes. She was always happiest with friends. Money held no sway over her joy.

She wandered down the hall to the grand staircase and looked down. There was dust coating every surface, but other than that the home looked pristine. She glided down the staircase and carefully stalked her way to the kitchen. The kitchen was enormous, as expected. Also as expected, there was a lovely pantry waiting to be explored.

She cautiously pulled the pantry door open and peeked in. It was empty, much to her relief.

Lucy opened her duffle and began filling it with canned goods. She hummed quietly to herself as she did so, enjoying the peace of it all. In a way, it made her nostalgic.

A loud crash made her drop her bag. It came from upstairs. She heard a yelp of pain from Natsu and immediately sprang into action.

She bolted up the stairs, desperate to reach him quickly.

When she entered the master bedroom, his duffle was tossed aside and it's contents were scattered about. The master bathroom door was open this time. She heard heavy breathing and groans of pain coming from inside. She ran inside without hesitation and screamed. Natsu was alive and the corpse that attacked him was officially out of commission, but it didn't go down without leaving a parting gift.

His leg had been severely bitten. An entire chunk was missing from his calf.

Lucy shook her head and fell to her knees in front of him.

"Natsu, no! I'm so sorry! so sorry!" She sobbed.

He smiled and tugged her golden braid playfully.

"It's okay Luce." He knew what would happen now, but there was nothing that could be done for him. Once bitten, your fate was sealed. He just hoped Lucy would make it back to the base safe on her own.

"No, if I had stayed... If I had waited for you this wouldn't have happened!" She wailed.

Natsu scooted closer to her, ignoring the searing pain in his leg.

"Don't do that. If you had stayed, this could be you right now. It's okay, Luce." He looked down at his leg and sighed. So this was how he was going out, huh? Kinda shitty.

Lucy buried her face in his chest and cried harder.

"Hey, why don't you keep me like birdo and lucky? This way we can still have adventures together and in a way, I can still protect you." He smiled at her, so pure.

"NO! I couldn't ... look at you... It would hurt too much." She stared at his leg wishing he had never been bitten.

The longer she stared, the more her mind raced. She remembered others she had seen bitten. Her father for example, had been bitten on the shoulder. He turned within hours. She then remembered when Zoldeo, the creepy friend of the family, had been bitten. He was bitten on the hand and she distinctly remembered it taking nearly a whole day for him to turn. She then realized that placement was everything. The closer to the heart, the faster you turn. It's like venom.

She gasped and jumped to her feet.

"What's a matter, Luce?" He asked, as if him dying wasn't enough to be the matter.

"I'll be right back. Don't move." She flew out the door and into the hall, aiming for the garage.

Natsu stared after her and blew his hair out of his face.

"Not like I could run away or anything..."

Lucy barged into the garage, not really concerned with finding dead weights. She was glad to see the garage was clear as she began her search for something sharp enough to cut through bone.

On the wall she found a tool display. There were many options, none of which would be quick and easy.

Ax, saw or chainsaw, the choice was hers. What was a little trauma in comparison to saving his life, really? She grabbed the ax and scurried to the kitchen. She opened the freezer and was pleased to find vodka. She grabbed a bucket of ice and the bottle of vodka. On her way to the room she grabbed some towels from the linen closet in the hall. She rushed back into the bathroom with all of her supplies and smiled when Natsu looked horrified.

"Luce, I know I need to die, but that's just brutal. What did I ever do to you?" He panicked.

"I'm not going to kill you and you aren't going to die. If I cut off your leg, there is a very good chance that you will live." She reasoned. He gulped and eyed the ax with a look of sheer terror.

"A-are you sure, Luce?" He asked timidly.

"Yes, I really believe I can save your life. You trust me, don't you?" She didn't want to take his leg, but she didn't want to lose him more.

"Yeah. Always have, always will." He clenched his eyes shut and tried to prepare himself for the worst pain of his life.

Lucy grabbed the vodka and handed it to him.

"Drink." She ordered.

He unscrewed the cap and began to down the harsh liquid. After a few gulps his body began to feel warm and loose. His leg didn't hurt as bad. She took the bottle from him and handed him a towel.

"bite down." She suggested, handing him the folded up towel.

He nodded and placed the towel in his mouth, biting down.

Lucy estimated how long it had been since he had been bitten and tried to imagine how far it could have traveled in an hour with limited to no activity. She decided that just above the knee might be a safe bet.

She lifted the ax into the air and swung it down on his leg. It went to the bone, but the bone itself did not cut. Again she raised the ax, his screams filling her ears and ripping at her heart. Again, it came down, this time cutting the bone and the rest of the leg clean off. Blood covered her face and clothes. The walls were splattered red and blood pooled beneath the amputated limb. She tossed the ax aside and shoved the amputated leg away. She doused the wound in vodka and wrapped a towel around it. Once secure she grabbed the ax once more.

"Hey, th-that's enough." He pleaded. She shook her head and held the metal of the blade out in front of him.

"Use your flame thrower on the metal. I need to cauterize the wound." She hated this, but he may bleed out and she wasn't willing to take that chance.

"Jeeze, Luce. ARE YOU KIDDING ME?" He screamed. She shook her head and tightened her grip on the ax handle.

"I'm sorry, I know it hurts, but I would want you to do the same for me. Please. I need you to live. Please, just a little more, okay?" She begged.

He tossed his head back and took a deep breath before grabbing the hose of his flame thrower. He flipped the switch and pulled the trigger releasing a wave of fire in front of him. the blade was immersed in flames so hot that Lucy's hands began to burn, but she refused to drop the weapon.

"It's good." She pulled it out of the flames and removed the blood soaked towel from his new stump. She placed the blade against his wound and whispered infinite apologies as he cursed in a fit of agony.

"SON OF A FUCKING DRAGON THAT HURTS LIKE A DICK." He shouted to no one in particular.

"Sorry! So sorry! Good news, I think you'll live. Bad news, you only have one leg..." Her voice tapered off guiltily. He would have to learn to live not just life in general, but THIS life, with only one leg and as far as Lucy was concerned, it was all her fault. But at least he was alive, right? Yeah, alive...

"Thank you for that update Captain obvious." He hissed as he attempted to adjust his position.

She frowned and helped him up, taking him to the bed.

"We'll stay here for the night and head out in the morning. I found some food in the kitchen. It'll have to do for now." She sat beside him and held his hand, staring at his leg on the bathroom floor from the bed.

If only she had stayed.

* * *

The next morning, Lucy woke before Natsu. Her eyes fluttered open, squinting at the light that played off the broken glass. She reached her hand beside her, feeling for him, but felt nothing.

Her eyes widened and she quickly launched herself from the bed and scanned the room.

"NATSU?!" she screamed for him frantically as she ran down the hall.

"NATSU!" She continued loudly down the stairs and into the kitchen.

She heard rustling from the pantry and grabbed a cast iron skillet from the counter. Slowly, she approached the door and gently kicked it open with her foot. She sighed when she saw Natsu hobbling on one leg and dropping cans into her duffle.

"How did you even get down here? You scared me!" She whined while checking his stump carefully.

He swatted her away and rested against a shelf.

"I'm fine Luce. I may only have one leg now, but there are ways I can get around. Even if I have to crawl, I am going to be useful." He insisted.

Lucy felt a wave of guilt wash over her. Living this kind of life was hard enough with two legs. Was it really humane to force him to live it with one? Would it have been better to let him die? She felt even guiltier as that question crossed her mind.

She smiled softly and began helping him fill the duffle.

"I know you will. I know."

* * *

"Here. Take these." Levy handed Gajeel a dose of the pain pills that Wendy had given him. She already knew what his answer would be, but still she tried.

"I don't want 'em." He turned his face away and carefully stood from his bed with the help of the crutches Wendy had so graciously provided from her and Porlyusica's hovel. His face twisted in pain, but he knew Levy wouldn't see. He didn't want to be taken care of. He wanted to be out there earning his keep. He couldn't stand the thought of Rogue. Perhaps one day he could forgive him, but today just wasn't that day.

"Gajeel, you can't just ignore the pain and keep going like nothing happened. You need to rest so that you can heal properly." She tried to reason with him.

"I can an' I will." He growled, shuffling to the door of their room.

"Gajeel..." she reached for his hand, but he jerked away.

"DON'T. Just... Don't."He twisted the knob, his insides twisting right along with it. He knew that Levy was right and being an ass wasn't going to make anything better. He just couldn't seem to make himself listen.

Levy held back tears as she twisted her tank top in her tiny fists.

"I'm sorry." She whispered with hurt oozing from every syllable.

Gajeel stopped in his tracks, the door wide open for his exit. He didn't want to upset her.

A quiet groan bubbled up from his throat.

"Shrimp... C'mere." He turned around clumsily with his crutches and extened one arm to invite her to his side.

She quickly scurried over to him and wrapped her arms around his waist.

"I just want you to get better. You need to rest and take your meds. You'll heal faster and before you know it, we'll be out doing runs again, okay? Please." She begged, rubbing her face in his side.

A lump formed in his throat as he watched her nuzzle into him, pleading for his sake.

"Fine. I'll lay down." He slumped his shoulder in defeat and patted her head.

"You mean it?" Her head snapped up and her eyes grew wide, glittering like they held the damn milky way.

"Yeah, yeah." He fumbled over to the bed and sat back down, tossing his crutches into the corner by the bed.

Levy pulled the blankets over him after he stretched out. She sat beside him and rested her head on his shoulder.

"Oy, gimme those meds." He demanded gruffly. She held them out and tilted her head to look at his face.

"I thought you didn't need them." She teased.

"I got screws in my ankle that were put there by a fuckin' child. Shit hurts. Give 'em here." He snatched them from her hand and popped them in his mouth. He grabbed the cantine by the bed to wash them down.

"Yes, sir." She smiled and spread out beside him, wrapping her arms around him as she settled into his chest.

This was so much nicer than smashing peoples faces in.

Well, almost.

* * *

"How far to the Lamia Scale guild?" Juvia asked with a breathy moan that gave Gray a funny feeling in his gut.

She was sweating like a beer on a hot beach, the glistening drops of liquid salt trailed down her neck and chest at an agonizingly slow pace before disappearing into her cleavage, the valley of no return.

Gray tore his eyes away reluctantly and clenched his eyes shut, pinching the bridge of his nose to bring back focus.

"Another hour at least. It's at a private healthcare practice the next town over." He explained shortly.

Juvia frowned at his quick response and harsh tone.

"Is Gray-sama angry with Juvia for something?" She asked, genuinely confused by his recently soured mood. He had been acting funny around her for weeks and it was beginning to bother her.

"No. Why?" He didn't look at her, he kept his eyes ahead, which only made her more determined to get answers.

"Oh, Juvia doesn't know. Maybe because you have been spending less time with her, won't sleep in our room, avoid her at the bar..." She began listing off all of these things that Gray couldn't deny because they were all true.

He had been avoiding her like the plague. He had been sharing a room with Freed, to avoid sleeping in the same room with her. It had nothing, yet absolutely everything to do with her.

She, not surprisingly, still wasn't quite there yet with her feelings for him. Gray, however, had fallen for her and was beginning to feel other things for her as well. He wasn't avoiding her to be petty about her feelings, but rather to respect them.

In other words, she turned him on.

"It's not like that, Juvia. I promise, okay? We're still friends." He tried to assure her.

Juvia stopped walking and grabbed his arm halting his advance.

"Does Gray-sama want a new partner? Is it Cana-san? OR FREED-SAN?!" She gasped dramatically.

Gray groaned and rubbed his face.

"No." He sighed.

Fed up with the mystery, she grabbed him and turned him to face her. She stood so close that the tip of her nose brushed his bottom lip by accident, sending a shiver down his spine.

"Then why?" She stared into his eyes curiously, desperate to know why the one who chose her to be his partner was distancing himself.

"It's not a big deal, really." He tried to look away, but she cupped his cheek.

"It is to Juvia. Gray-sama wanted Juvia to be his partner, but now she is confused." Her brows furrowed as she studied his face.

His eyes softened and he sighed.

"I do want you to be my partner. That's the problem."

Juvia cocked a brow in surprise.

"What does that mean?" She asked, slightly offended.

He hesitantly reached for her hand that was oddly still cupping his cheek. Gently, he wrapped his fingers around hers and pressed a kiss to her palm.

"You don't want me." He answered quietly, his husky voice just above a whisper.

She stared at him in shock, trying to process the moment when suddenly arrows began flying from behind him. Juvia pushed him behind her and shielded him with her body. That was the down side to being romantic partners. When you love someone, even if you don't quite realize it, you want to protect them at any cost.

"Ahhhh! No, Gray-sama!" Juvia plopped down on him to keep him from charging at the source of the arrows. She had been hit, or rather, grazed. Her right cheek, just beside the corner of her mouth had been sliced by an arrow to the line of her jaw. the blood mingled with her sweat and created pink and red watery drops that joined the others down the valley of no return, but this sight did not please him as it had before. When Gray saw her bleed, he saw nothing but red and it was taking everything Juvia had to keep him down.

A small object went flying into the wooded area by the road they were on towards the source of the arrows. It was a flashbang. Juvia squinted behind her to see three figures approaching in what looked like slow motion.

A man and two women ran to the pair on the ground.

"Juvia! Gray! Hang on, we're coming!" Cana shouted to them as she pulled out her razor fan, slicing a man's throat before he could attack.

"Are you okay?!" Mira called to them, her machete slicing clean through another man's side.

"How's Gray? Can he stand?" Laxus shouted before stabbing another shooter in the eye.

"We're fine!" Juvia held him tight and lifted him up.

Gray stared at the wound on her face in silence. Juvia covered her cheek and shrugged.

"It's just a scratch." She tried to down play it, but it was obvious to anyone who could see that her cheek was nearly ripped open.

"You got that... protecting me." His voice was low and gravelly.

"No, Juvia... Juvia is fine, Gray-sama." She assured him.

"THIS IS NOT FINE, JUVIA." He grabbed her hand and yanked it away from her face, revealing the gash on her cheek.

"SO JUVIA WILL HAVE A SCAR. SO WHAT? AT LEAST GRAY-SAMA WILL STILL BE ALIVE. AT LEAST HE WILL STILL BE HERE FOR JUVIA, RIGHT?!" She shouted back out of anger and frustration. Wasn't this why they were partners? To protect each other?

"But what if you are no longer here for me?" He countered.

Juvia honestly hadn't thought about that and the realization made her feel a little selfish.

"We took care of 'em." Cana stated smugly as she wrapped an arm around Juvia's suddenly heavy shoulders.

"Oh, did we interrupt? Sorry. We thought your lives were more important than a lover's spat. Your welcome." Laxus said sarcastically.

"At least you guys are okay." Mira smiled sweetly. Her smile changed her entire look. Just seeing her normally, you would assume she was likely to be rough and a little mean, but when she smiles it's like she is a whole other being. She has a scar over her right eye that looks like a large splitting crack in her skin. Despite the scar, Mira is still a strong contender for one of the most beautiful women in the guild. She wears red lipstick religiously and her machete is just as much a part of her identifying qualities. She is known by many as the "She Devil."

"Yeah... We're fine." Gray sniffed and wiped his mouth as he stood from the ground and approached Laxus.

"Why are you guys here?" He asked the group of three.

"We heard you were going to that cutie's guild to set up an alliance. We wanted to tag along." Cana took a swig from her travel flask and smiled.

"Yeah, Well now we are going back to the guild." Gray responded harshly.

"Why?" Juvia asked in disbelief.

"You're hurt and I don't want that getting infected." He wrapped an arm around her waist and began walking her back in the direction of the guild.

"Come on. We're going home."

"But, Juvia will be fine. Let's just go-" She tried.

"We're going home."

* * *

"What happened?!" Erza rushed over to the pair as they entered the guild. Lucy held Natsu up on one side so that he could get around. Her "friends" lingered behind her, attempting to reach Max at the end of their leashes.

"I got bit. Thanks to Lucy's quick thinkin' I'm still here." He beamed with pride. He was oddly chipper for having just lost a limb. Lucy was amazed by his overwhelming positivity.

The guild members backed away in horror at his confession. A bite was a death sentence that put everyone around in danger. They all knew that.

"Hey! Don't look at us like that! He won't turn! I swear it!" She insisted.

Makarov sat atop the bar and narrowed his eyes at the young blonde.

"And how do you figure that?" His brow curved curiously at her as he leaned forward with interest.

"My father was bitten on the shoulder. He turned within hours. My mother's friend, Zoldeo, he was bitten on the hand and it took him a long, agonizing day to turn. This ... whatever it is... it works like venom. The closer the bite is to the location of the heart, the faster one will turn. Natsu was bitten on the calf. To stop him from turning, I removed his leg. I wish I didn't have to do that, but I did. He won't turn. I promise he won't." She explained desperately.

The crowd atmosphere changed from hostile to calm in a matter of seconds.

Erza smiled and pulled Lucy in for a hug.

"Thank you for saving him." She whispered.

Lucy nodded and returned the embrace but stopped when she noticed the cuffed man strapped to Erza's belt.

Before she could say anything, Gray entered with Juvia in tow, covering her cheek guiltily. Mira, Cana and Laxus entered behind them, looking less than thrilled by their situation.

Erza spotted the blood escaping Juvia's fingers and trudged her way over to the blunette with her own blunette close behind.

"And what happened to you?!" She pulled her hand away and gasped at the large tear in her cheek.

"Juvia is fi-" she started, but Gray cut in.

"We were attacked and Juvia decided to play hero." He seethed.

Juvia looked away shamefully to the floor.

"That will definitely leave a nasty scar, but you two are still alive and that is what matters." Erza stated confidently.

Juvia shared her sentiments, but still felt bad for some reason. Gray was clearly angry about her wound, but it wasn't life threatening. She began to wonder why it bothered him so much.

That night, Gray slept in their room on his cot.

"Gray-sama?" Juvia called to him in the dark from her cot.

"Yeah?" He answered tiredly.

"Why are you so upset by Juvia's wound? Do you find her unattractive?" She inquired.

Gray sat up and shook his head.

"That's not it at all. It's just... Every time I see your face, I'm gonna know that scar is because of me." He whispered shakily.

"Juvia made the choice to protect you. Maybe Juvia does want to be your partner. Maybe she needs it." She admitted shyly.

Gray couldn't see her, but he stared in her direction, hoping she meant what he thought she meant.

"You mean partner, partner?" He asked hopefully.

Juvia giggled and nodded in the dark.

"Yes. She means ... Maybe she likes you more than she had intended." She removed her thin, blue and black flannel blanket and stood from her cot.

Gray could hear her feet padding across the floor. The steps sounded as if they were coming closer, closer, closer, until they stopped. He could feel her standing beside his bed and instinctively, he scooted over.

She climbed in beside him and gently took his hand in hers.

"Juvia... is willing to try. She must admit, she likes you very much." Her cheeks felt like they were inflamed and her wound began to sting a little.

"I really like you, too." He stared down to where their hands were intertwined in the dark. It was such a new feeling that he was at a loss for words. For once in a long time, he was genuinely happy.

* * *

The next morning, Erza climbed the basement stairs to the open bar, her prisoner close behind. She took her seat at the bar and ordered him to sit beside her.

"Child, Fairy Tail is not a guild for hostages. Treat the poor man like a civilized human being, would ya?" Makarov scolded.

She sighed and nodded with a small smile.

"Yes, I suppose you are right. This is no way to care for a possible recruit." She turned to face Jellal and removed his cuffs carefully. She bowed her head and offered her cantine out to him.

"My humblest apologies. I have proven to be quite the unsatisfactory hostess. I didn't even have the decency to ask your name before forcing you to sleep in a strange place you were unfamiliar with. Please, forgive my temporary lack of decent manners." She spoke sincerely.

"J-Jellal. You haven't harmed me, so I hold no ill will... However... My group will not take well to my disappearance." He admitted with concern.

"Ah, yes. Your group. If, you wish, I will release you. I am sorry for taking you, I just... I don't know what I was thinking. I just wish I had made your stay more hospitable. We would love to have you and your group join our ranks." She took a sip from her cantine after he passed it back to her.

"Ranks? You act as if you are building and army." He chuckled nervously. She smiled and shook her head.

"No, no. Nothing like that. We don't intend to be the type of guild that fights battles for turf and supplies, but as we learned last month... Our intentions mean nothing if others seek to destroy us. It is good to always be prepared, wouldn't you agree?" She handed him a small roll from the tray Mira was serving around the bar. Every morning Mira would wake up early and bake up a few batches of simple rolls to start everyone's day.

When the outbreak had happened, most places were abandoned, including electric and heating companies. With nobody to monitor the usage, it was a utility free for all.

"Thanks. What happened a month ago?" He took a bite from the roll and waited patiently for her answer.

Erza took a deep breath and tilted her head back with her eyes shut. Those were memories she couldn't wait to push to the back of her mind.

"We were attacked by another guild, Saber Tooth. The attack wasn't so much about us as it was about the Master of the guild. The Master's daughter, Minerva, orchestrated the whole thing for the sole purpose of eliminating her father, a task in which she had delegated to us without our knowledge. He was a terrible man and I understand her reasons, but that was an event I would much rather put behind me." She leaned forward with her elbows on the bar. Jellal nodded and dusted off his hands and tee shirt.

"Sounds chaotic. Is this normal for the guild, or was it just a fluke?" He didn't know if he wanted to drag his group into this guild, but he wanted to at least hear them out.

"It was the very first time we had ever been directly attacked. Being attacked while out on runs is to be expected... but not a direct declaration of war. It was hopefully a one time occurrence." She snagged another two rolls from Mira. One for herself and another for him.

Lucy helped Natsu up the steps and into the bar. He still had a smile on his face, but Lucy looked absolutely miserable.

"Lucy-san! Natsu-san!" Juvia called to the pair from a pub table by the boarded window. Gray sat beside her, Levy and Gajeel in front of them. Gray stood from his seat and dragged two chairs to their table for them.

Lucy helped Natsu into the chair and sat beside him quietly.

"How's the leg, hot shot?" Gajeel asked with a smirk.

"How's your ankle, metal face?" He countered playfully.

Levy and Lucy both frowned. They both felt bad about their partners. Lucy more so, though, since she was the cause of Natsu's misfortune.

"Lucy-san... What's wrong?" Juvia took her hand and stared into her eyes sympathetically.

"She still thinks she is responsible for my leg. I already told her I don't care. She saved my life. Because of you I get to come home and be with my friends. So, I'm not as fast... In fact, I'm pretty much just as slow as one of your leashed monsters, but I'm here and I'm alive. It's okay, Luce. Really." He assured her. Her eyes filled with tears and she held her breath, nodding.

Juvia tugged Lucy's hand and nodded towards the other side of the bar that was empty. Juvia lead Lucy over to an empty table and sat her down. She sat across from her and sighed.

"Juvia thinks that Lucy-san needs to understand." She reached up and gently pulled the bandage from her cheek, exposing the large gash on her face.

Lucy gasped. She didn't have the chance to see it the day before. She had been so concerned with Natsu, she hardly paid attention to anything else.

"Juvia..." Lucy covered her mouth.

"Juvia got this from her own decision to protect gray-sama. He blames himself, but Juvia made the decision to protect him. Lucy-san made the decision to save Natsu-san, but Natsu-san needing to be saved was nobodies fault. You made a call and it was the right one. I do not regret saving Gray-sama. This will scar and Juvia will see it and know that on that day she did the right thing. Lucy... Juvia knows it hurts, but when you see him," She turned Lucy's face to see Natsu smiling and laughing with the group. "know you did the right thing."

"You're right..." Lucy wiped her eyes and nodded, turning her face back to Juvia.

The heavy doors to the front of the guild swung open and a man carrying a woman stormed in.

It was Lyon and over his shoulder, bound and gagged was a young woman with amethyst hair and black earmuffs.

"Where are they?" He asked sharply.

Jellal stood from the bar and took a step forward.

"Why do you have her?" He demanded.

Erza watched with interest.

"I found her lurking around the fence. She seemed suspicious, so I captured her for you. Now, where are they?" He asked again, setting the girl on the ground in front of his feet gently. She thrashed in the ropes and growled through the gag, which he had made with a spare tee in his bag.

Jellal went to the girl and untied her, Erza right beside him as he did.

Gray stood and tapped his shoulder.

"We're right here. Sorry about missing our meet yesterday. We were ambushed and..." He was cut off by Juvia approaching from behind.

"And Juvia was injured, so we returned to the guild." She finished.

Lyon was mortified by what he saw. She was still lovely as always, but the wound was very hard to ignore.

At the moment, the wound was still healing, so it looked quite shocking, but Juvia knew that in time her wound would heal and although it would scar, like Mira's it would just be a part of her that everyone accepted.

"Juvia, your face!" He gasped in horror. She rolled her eyes and nodded.

"Yes, Juvia's face has been sliced open. Get a good long look." She placed her bandage back over the wound and crossed her arms.

"Jellal, let's get out of here! Ultear is waiting for us!" the girl from before begged.

Lyon and Gray turned around so fast Juvia was nearly knocked over.

"Did you just say Ultear?" Gray asked in a serious tone. Lyon approached the girl and grabbed her arm.

"How do you know Ultear? Where is she?" He pressed.

"Let her go, Lyon-sama." Juvia stepped between the two and shoved Lyon away from the girl.

"I apologize for my forwardness, but you must tell us where she is." He urged.

Meredy stepped forward and crossed her arms.

"Why should I?" She challenged.

Gray stepped between the two and leaned forward so that he was eye to eye with the girl.

"Because she's our sister."

* * *

Author's note:

Hooray! I finally updated something.

Miracles do happen.

Also, it would totally take more than two chops for Lucy to cut off Natsu's leg with an axe, but I was too lazy to go too much more into detail... so... yeah.

Anyways, I hope you all enjoy the new chapter.

Next chapter the boys will reunite with Ultear, Crime Sorciere will merge with Fairy Tail, Lyon and Meredy will make a connection, Lyon will take team Natsu plus Juvia and Gajeel to Lamia Scale where the old hag will help Natsu with his leg and Wendy will meet Chelia for the first time.


End file.
